


Rosehill House

by Ariendiel



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Regency, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27281116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariendiel/pseuds/Ariendiel
Summary: Miss Adaline Chalcraft is the graceful but headstrong botany teacher at Rosehill House - an old and distinguised boarding school for gifted young ladies in Regency England. As a rare sanctuary for women, it is a place that has long prided itself on the poise and spinsterhood of its staff. Now however, change is arriving in the form of the new librarian, and a man at that...** A regency era au focused on Noah x MC. It features characters from all three seasons of litg and some other relationships, but I'm avoiding most tags because of spoilers **
Relationships: Bobby McKenzie & Main Character (Love Island), Noah & Main Character (Love Island), Noah/Main Character (Love Island), Priya & Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 176
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

The turn of a century is of course expected to come with certain changes, but the arrival of a _man_ at Rosehill House was not one of them. As a school for the particularly gifted - and wealthy - members of the fairer sex, it had long prided itself on its staff consiting only of unmarried women who dedicated their lives to the art of teaching. There was to be nothing distracting the young students from learning painting, embroidery, etiquette, literature, dancing, basic mathematics, music, singing, riding, conversation, natural sciences, latin, French and German. In other words: the bare essentials for any modern young lady wanting to be taken seriously in high society. With the scandalous decision by the headmistress, Miss. Marisol Trujillo, to hire a gentleman as the new school librarian however, change had finally arrived at Rosehill House, for better or for worse.

This year, the autumn rains had arrived particularly early, and the skies were grey and heavy; covering the rolling hills and nearby forests in a fine blanket of classic British mizzle. Not the best of days for greeting a special new arrival perhaps, but the weather was unfortunately beyond anyone’s control, and even on this gloomy day the place had a certain melancholic charm to it. Maybe Rosehill House had seen better days, but it nonetheless stood proud and majestic in the centre of the generous school grounds, as it had since the late reign of Queen Anne, and was still kept in high regard as being one of the only places in the country providing an education for young women. It was in a sense, _unique_.

Whereas the students had not arrived back from their summer holidays yet, and wouldn’t for another few days, the teachers all lived on the premises year-round. For them, nothing noteworthy ever seemed to happen at Rosehill House, except the occasional minor scandal involving the neighbouring Marlbridge Academy for Boys, but even that seemed mundane compared to this exciting development. Consequently, a few of the younger members of staff now stood huddled around the large set of windows situated on the second landing of the main flight of stairs leading down to the entrance hall. All wanted to be the first to spot the coach bringing with it the new hire, and the anticipation was growing by the minute. 

“I heard his uncle is a Baron or some other nobleman, can you imagine?” Miss. Priya Patel, teacher of fine arts, said in poorly suppressed excitement as she looked out the windows towards the courtyard and long driveway leading up to the main building. The maple trees lining the road had just started to change into their beautiful autumn dress, but it was difficult to tell through the dense mist. “The young, single nephew of some wealthy nobility here, at Rosehill House!”

“And a bachelor at that,” Miss. Hannah Perkins added wistfully, also her gazing out while twirling an escaped strand of her long, flaming red hair around a finger. “When Miss. Trujillo said she had hired a gentleman I must admit I imagined him to be some old bore, all grey and dusty, but my sister sent me a letter saying he is a very handsome and fine gentleman indeed. Apparently he was all the talk among the young women in London a few seasons back, with more than one lady wishing to capture his heart.”

“And fortune,” Priya added with a wry smile, making Hannah huff in disapproval. The young Latin and literature teacher was known to be quite the romantic, and yet she had never herself married, something that baffled most of the others. After all, Miss. Perkins was pretty enough with her dainty feminine features, clear complexion (which was unfortunately marred by a generous amount of freckles), and large blue eyes. She came from a well-connected family as well, so one would have thought her attracting a husband would have been easy enough. Alas.

“If he does possess such a good fortune, then why on earth did he choose to become a librarian here?” Miss. Adaline Chalcraft finally spoke from where she stood, gently leaning against the window frame, eyes fixed on a few droplets of rain slowly trailing their way down the large glass before turning to look at her friends. “Surely it would make more sense for him to stay in London, amongst the finest of nobility, rather than with us spinsters here in Somerset?”

“Why, perhaps a spinster is exactly his preference,” Priya said casually, but with a gleam in her eyes. “You know, I have heard that these womanising London gentlemen have the most grotesque tastes when it comes to, well... Mayhaps he only chooses to come here to pray upon us poor, unmarried women? You better lock your door at night is all I’m saying, Hannah.” Turning from Hannah’s shocked expression, Miss. Patel gave Adaline a smile and the smallest of playful winks. Delicately covering her mouth with a hand, Adaline did her best to conceal her smile and the burst of soft laughter that escaped her - her dear friend always said the most scandalous things.

Being Adaline’s closest friend at Rosehill House, Miss. Priya Patel was a tall, curvaceous woman, almost regal in her bearing, and with her dark, lustrous hair, deep eyes, and an impeccable sense of style she was a rare beauty indeed. There was always a certain spark in her eyes as well, of the kind only found in those trained in the arts and who possess a creative spirit, and passionate soul. Were it not for her involvement in a scandalous affair with Lord Reese Taylor of Birmingham a decade prior she almost definitely would have been married to some wealthy man already. Instead, she had been shunned by high society and returned to Rosehill House where she herself had been a student, only as a teacher this time.

“As long as he doesn’t become too much of a distraction to the students I believe I shall tolerate him,” Adaline said with a chuckle and looked out the window again, and at the still empty road fading away into the distance. She was determined not to judge this stranger prematurely, and her feeling of apprehension about this change was largely overshadowed by a sense of anticipation and curiosity about this man, which she was desperately trying to conceal. Adaline would simply not allow for any silly notions to settle in on her mind, and so, pushing all these intrusive thoughts aside, she instead turned to face her colleagues again, a smile on her face. “And one never knows, he might actually inspire a few of them to visit the library more often.”

Miss. Adaline Chalcraft herself was one of the newer additions to the school, having moved in just the year prior to take up the position as the new botany teacher - a necessity due to the school’s new conservatory and with horticulture being all the rage for young ladies. Her grandfather had been an avid natural historian, adventurer, and generally a well respected gentleman, and it was him who had instilled Adaline with her love of nature. Whereas her older brother had been raised to inherit and carry on the family name, she had spent her days by her grandfather’s side, watching and learning. It should have been an idyllic childhood, truly, but families are a complicated thing.

“Oh, I believe I see the coach!” Hannah exclaimed, and for a moment it looked like she was about to jump and clap in a display of undignified excitement before she quickly collected herself and instead moved her hands to straighten her skirts. “We will _finally_ get to meet him.”

“Did you say he is here? Already?” A voice cried out in a thick, Welsh accent. Looking around, they easily spotted Miss. Elladine Sarabi, the embroidery teacher and one of the oldest members of staff, who was quickly making her way towards them, holding her old-fashioned and ballooning skirts in one hand so as not to trip while also desperately trying to fix her tangled mop of grey hair. “Oh my, I thought we had more time! Surely it wasn’t today he was meant to arrive? What will he think, seeing me in such a state… First Miss. Trujillo hires a _man_ , and then she springs him on us like this? She will be the death of me, I swear. Oh, my poor nerves...” Continuing to mumble to herself about the unacceptable state of things, Elladine wobbled past them towards the stairs, making the three younger women giggle.

“Well, come on then,” Priya laughed and snuck one arm around Adaline’s before grabbing hold of Hannah as well, and arm in arm they rushed towards the beautiful imperial staircase leading down to the main entrance. “We cannot let old Miss. Sarabi beat us to it, can we?”

Giggling, the three of them soon found themselves in the grand entrance hall, which was rapidly filling with about a dozen women of varying ages chatting eagerly amongst themselves. While some of the more old-fashioned ladies did their utmost to hide any smidge of exhilaration and anticipation, Adaline couldn't help but notice how they also just happened to wear their nicest day-dress and had perfectly coiffed hair. The scent of expensive perfume was also unmistakable, and few had even managed to dig out some old pieces of jewelry to wear.

“How do I look?” Hannah whispered from where she stood, her voice shaky and her large eyes constantly flickering towards the main entrance, and Adaline turned from observing the crowd to face her friend.

“Let me see,” Adaline said before taking a step back, looking her over: Hannah wore a simple gown, as was expected at the school, but in a particularly flattering shade of blue that complemented her features well. With an approving nod, Adaline gave her a warm, supportive smile before stepping closer to pinch her cheeks. “You look lovely as always, and now you look slightly less mortified as well.” 

“Thank you, Ada.” Hannah let out a slow breath through parted lips, seemingly more relaxed but Adaline still sensed an air of anxiousness about her, and with an uncomfortable realisation she became acutely aware of her own nervousness. The sensation made her falter as she found herself looking down at her day gown, a small frown between her delicate brows. The light blue and cream gown was one of her favourites, saved for the most special occasions, but now she was second-guessing herself. Absentmindedly, she ran her hands over the soft fabric, her mind wandering and starting to wonder about this man; what he looked like, what he was like, and whether or not he would approve of her and her appearances. Closing her eyes for a second, Adaline snapped out of it and straightened again, what on earth was she thinking? This was just the welcoming of a new colleague, nothing more.

“Ladies!” Suddenly, the authoritative voice of the headmistress boomed across the room, followed by the lady herself as she strode into the room. “Behave yourselves! Form an orderly line, as we practiced, and silence, please! We are the dignified members of Rosehill House, not some hapless heap of headless hens, and I expect you to behave as such.”

While she spoke, Miss. Marisol Trujillo crossed the grand hall towards the main doors, her long confident steps echoing off the walls as the rest of the ladies instantly fell silent and shuffled into position. While small of stature, Marisol had an attitude of such grace and command one could not help but to listen, and obey. With her dark dress, back perfectly straight, her hair tied back, and with delicate glasses perched on a roman nose, Marisol had perhaps reached middle age and left the glory of youth behind, but she still made for a striking figure.

Lined up along the length of the hall, Adaline ended up towards the end with the other younger members of staff, but separated from the servants who all stood a bit further away. The room was tense and deadly quiet for a moment before the heavy wooden doors to the outside opened, and at long last let in the new librarian at Rosehill House: Mr. Noah Buan Alexander.

“Oh my.” Even a few feet away, Adaline could hear the soft words involuntarily escape Priya right before a small flutter of delight spread through the rest of the assembly; everyone’s heads were quickly turned and a few were even leaning forwards to get a better look. Adaline felt her own heart beat faster against the gentle strain of her short corset as she did her best not to stare, but even she, unfortunately, had to admit that what Hannah had heard was true, because Mr. Alexander was a beautiful man indeed.

Even from a distance, she took note of just how tall he was, towering over Marisol who made the first, most formal introductions before guiding him along the line of women to allow him the pleasure of meeting everyone. As he stepped closer, his warm, deep voice and charming smile left more than a few of the women giggling in his wake (earning their fair share of stern looks from Marisol), and even from where she stood Adaline could swear she saw his cheeks flush at the attention he was receiving, showing through his darker complexion.

“Miss. Priya Patel, teacher of fine arts,” Marisol said formally as she stopped by Priya, whom curtised while Noah bowed his head, and Adaline did her best to restrain the smile that tried to sneak its way onto her face as her friend put on her most charming display. Priya loved making an impression.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss. Patel,” Noah said politely, while Priya gazed up at him, batting her eyelashes.

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Alexander,” Priya said demurely, earning herself a raised eyebrow of disapproval from Marisol, and causing Noah to stutter a little and his cheeks to flush even hotter as he tried to muster a reply - something he evidently failed at as he quickly moved along. Adaline couldn’t help but find it rather sweet how genuinely flattered and baffled he seemed at even the smallest amount of flirtatious female attention, and she wondered how he had managed to remain unmarried among the ladies of London.

“And this is Miss. Hannah Perkins, our Latin and literature teacher,” Marisol had finally reached the end of the line, where Hannah and Adaline stood side by side. From this distance, she could tell how fine his navy blue coat was, and she wondered if not the rumours of a noble uncle could possibly be true. She also couldn’t help but notice how he was nervously, or perhaps restlessly, moving his long fingers along the brim of his hat.

“Nice to meet you, Miss. Perkins,” he said gently, his lips shaped into a small smile as the redhead curtsied for him and he bowed politely in return, Hannah’s cheeks now turned a bright pink on their own accord as she looked shyly up at him.

“Mr. Alexander,” she replied in her shrill voice. “I believe you might have met my older sister while in London? Lady Millicent Fraser-Phipps?”

“Oh, I am afraid I have not had the honour of meeting the lady myself yet, but I know her husband well. Captain Lord Fraser-Phipps of The Royal Navy, I believe?” As Hannah eagerly nodded, Noah’s smile widened somewhat as he regarded her. “I have however only heard compliments of course, both regarding her and your family.”

With another polite bow of his head, he turned to face Adaline; the final lady waiting to be introduced, and for the briefest of moments, their eyes finally met. His eyes were a peculiar shade of light brown, which as he stepped closer she noticed had small specks of gold scattered around the irises, and the warmth they exuded seemed to envelop her. Finding herself unable to break away, a shiver ran down her spine before he finally tore his gaze from her, instead looking down at the hat he held in his hands, his grip of it tightening every so slightly.

“And last but not least, we have Miss. Adaline Chalcraft, our botany teacher,” Marisol sounded almost relieved to be done with the introductions, and so did Noah, as while Adaline curtsied he simply nodded in her general direction, his lips pursed and a with what looked like a frown on his face - the change was so stark and sudden it left her completely dumbfounded where she stood, her gaze dancing across him as she tried to understand what had just happened.

“Miss. Chalcraft,” he mumbled quickly before promptly stepping away without offering her a second glance or as much as a smile. Left in near shock at the blunt rudeness and arrogance, Adaline could only glare at his broad back as he was briefly introduced to the servants. Never had she experienced being treated in such a way, and her face felt drained off blood even after Marisol had led up the stairs and to the west wing to show him to his chambers.

Tired from his travels, Noah had politely declined joining the ladies for supper that evening, preferring to spend some time alone, unpack, and familiarise himself with his rooms. While it truly was a very understandable and sensible decision, there was nonetheless an air of disappointment around the table that evening before the ladies retired for the night. Unlike Noah, who of course had his own private chambers, the majority of the women shared their space with at least one more member of staff - and Adaline had been lucky enough to be put in the same room as Miss. Patel, and not one of the older ladies (a few were well known to be prone to snoring). Their room was not grand, but had all the necessities and a few luxuries in addition to their own personal belongings: Priya’s art supplies and sketches, and Adaline’s neat stack of books on natural history and encyclopediae of flowers and plants.

“Well, he is certainly very handsome, don’t you think?” In the privacy of the room, Priya finally dared speak what they’d both been thinking, a smile on her face as she sat down to release her long hair from it’s updo before she reached for her comb. “Did you see how he made Hannah blush? Her face almost turned the same colour as her hair!”

“It was impossible not to take note of that,” Adaline chuckled as she went about lighting the candles in their room, the flickering flames giving the cold interior some warmth as they for a while longer would fight off the darkness of the night. “And Mr. Alexander might be handsome, even I must admit to that, but never have I been greeted by such blatant distaste upon first meeting. Surely I do not look or appear horrid enough to earn such instant disapproval?”

“Not at all! You looked splendid as always, Ada,” Priya said firmly, putting her comb down before getting up to help undo her short corset, Adaline having just removed her outerwear and neatly folded it away. Stood in front of the looking glass placed on their dressing table, Adaline smiled gratefully at Priya as she deftly moved her fingers and helped her remove the layers of cloth. “His manner towards you was very curt, even rude I would say, especially after how kindly he behaved with the rest of us. Most strange, especially if his breeding is as good as they say.”

“If he thinks so highly of himself that my mere existence somehow offends him, then I am glad it seems to be Hannah, if anyone at all, who’s caught his eye,” Adaline sounded more hurt than she intended, and looking at her own reflection she clenched her jaw in annoyance for having let this Noah affect her so. With a sigh, she softened her tone and shrugged, managing a small smile. “I do doubt any of us here are deemed good enough for him even as mere acquaintances, the oh so proper nephew of a Baron or Viscount or whatever it is… I bet he will not even last the year.”

“That is the Ada I know,” Priya had finished with the first undergarment, and now loosely wrapped her arms around Adaline from behind in a teasing hug, giving her reflection a wink. “No man is allowed to cause you such pain again, remember? Because I do. Besides, he even seemed to ignore my charms, so he most definitely has no taste whatsoever when it comes to women. Now, please be so kind and help me get out of this gown, I already regret cleaning it for his arrival, such a wasted effort.”

A few choice words later, and Adaline and Priya were both cheerfully laughing again, their conversation moving along from the arrival of Mr. Alexander and to the imminent return of the students - something that most certainly would liven things up further. Soon soft, sleepy giggles filled the small space, the two of them curled up under the blankets of their beds in the dimming light of the candles before sleep came to take all worries away. At least for one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of this litg x regency!au, it's been so fun to write and I'll do my best to post regular updates. While set during the regency era, I've deliberately taken some creative liberties to make the story flow better, so I hope you can all forgive the historical inaccuracies! Also, I'm holding back on character and relationship tags on purpose as I don't want to spoil anything...
> 
> Any and all comments much appreciated 🧡  
> tumblr - ariendiel


	2. Chapter 2

As with most days, the ladies of Rosehill House broke their fast together in the great hall the following morning, with Adaline and Priya arriving together like they did most days. As she scanned the room, while simultaneously trying to hide that she did just so, Adaline was quick to spot Mr. Alexander, who seemed to finally have decided to grace the ladies with his presence. In fact, judging by his empty plate, he had risen before most of them and was now quietly sipping his tea with his nose in a book; he had evidently already found the time to explore his new workplace. Sat at the end of a table amongst the chattering voices of women and scraping of cutlery, he somehow managed to seem quite peaceful and only a tad out of place. Outside, the sun was rising and his deep brown hair was catching the soft rays of sunshine that came through the large windows, which only highlighted how rich the colour actually was. Even his warm skin seemed to glow in the early morning light.

Not realising she’d been staring, Adaline involuntarily jumped and quickly looked away from him as Miss. Trujillo got up from the table right in front of her. While she was smiling politely at her superior, internally she was infinitely annoyed at herself for doing the one thing she’d been determined to avoid: to let this _man_ distract her. Marisol, however, just raised an eyebrow at the younger women, before glancing at her timepiece and hurrying out of the room. Always an early riser, the headmistress was also the only one of the women who exclusively drank coffee - and vast amounts of it at that. The bitter taste of the dark drink had never quite agreed with Adaline, so tea would quite suffice.

Finally sat down, Adaline’s thoughts started to wander, planning how to start her lessons for the term while idly listening to the energetic conversation Priya was already having with the music teacher, Miss. Yasmin Douglas. Truly, Priya was doing most of the talking, but the soft voice of Yasmin did occasionally manage to break through with a well-placed comment or two. 

“The great hall just seems too quiet without the students, don’t you think, Miss. Douglas?” Priya sighed as she looked around the large, almost eerily empty room. “It will be so nice to have them back soon.”

“I am not so sure, Miss. Patel,” Yasmin said with an amused smile. “We might say so now, but I am certain that once that changes, and the rooms and halls are filled with the sounds of chattering young women again, we will soon miss this peace and quiet.”

“Oh, but they make this place so lively! This great old place simply feels too dreary and old without them, and not even Mr. Alexander can mend that it seems. As it is now I have to go into town for any smidge of excitement, whereas with the students we get it right here on our doorstep.”

“If you say so,” Yasming simply chuckled, not sounding convinced but nonetheless letting the younger woman speak of her woes.

Smiling to herself, Adaline lifted her cup to take a sip of her tea in the same instant that the hairs on the back of her neck started to prickle, and she turned her face only to see that Noah was looking at her. Lips slightly parted, the way he regarded her caught her by surprise. _Was that curiosity in his eyes? Or even warmth?_ she thought, but was given no more time to try and decipher its meaning before he abruptly closed his book and got up, politely offering the ladies a small nod before leaving.

Once more, Adaline found herself completely dumbfounded by his behaviour. He had not seemed hard or cold towards her, of that she was certain, and yet he had taken his leave almost as soon as he took note of her. What was going on? Rubbing a finger against her temple, Ada simply shook her head before finally drinking her tea, she really did not have time for this nonsense. So, shoving those thoughts aside, she instead looked over and smiled as they were joined by a sleepy Hannah; the redhead still yawning while she delicately added sugar to her tea.

“Mr. Alexander just offered me the most courteous good morning. Even just in passing he manages to be such a gentleman,” she said with something akin to a sigh. Taking a small sip of her tea, Hannah wrinkled her nose and sat her cup down before adding another teaspoon of sugar. Only then did she seem satisfied as she lifted the cup to her lips. “I must say it is such a delight to have him join us, despite all my initial reservations.”

“If it only takes a polite greeting to make you praise a man in such a manner, then I do believe you need to raise your standards, my dear,” Yasmin said in her characteristically musical voice from where she sat, a mildly amused smile on her face. She was perhaps a tricenarian, but was still a lovely looking woman with her plump lips and wavy brown hair, very much complementing her light brown eyes and skin. “He might be well bred and with fine manners, but he is still a man, and you a young beautiful woman. It will do you well to remain cautious around him, Miss. Perkins.”

“Oh, Miss. Douglas, please,” Priya exclaimed with a gesture of her hand. “You speak as if he is here to seduce us all, when not even a day has passed since his arrival. Cautiousness is one thing, but surely we do not have to avoid him like the plague?”

 _Like he seems to be avoiding me_ , Adaline thought, but didn’t speak the words. Self-pity was not an attractive feature in anyone. Instead, she gracefully shrugged and smiled at the others. “He does not strike me as particularly interesting whatsoever, so I doubt we are at any risk of scandal.”

“Oh, how can you say so?” Hannah frowned, looking almost aghast, but Adaline made no further comment on the matter, and was glad as the conversation soon moved along before they all got up to start work for the day. They had servants, yes, but there was always something to do at Rosehill House: lessons had to be planned, lecture rooms and reading material prepared. Adaline also had to tend with the flowers and other greenery in the conservatory, which usually kept her well preoccupied.

And so almost half a fortnight quickly passed before the expected arrival of the students, and by all accounts it was remarkably uneventful. Adaline only ever saw Noah at breakfast and supper, and even then he sometimes chose to dine in his study while reading some book alone and in silence. A few of the women had polite conversations with him when visiting the library or when out for walks, but Adaline found herself deliberately avoiding such places where he might be. That was, until the last day of quiet prior to the term start, when she found herself unable to avoid the library any further as she was in desperate need of borrowing some more books. 

Stepping silently into the grand old library, the soft rugs covering most of the wooden floors muffled her steps while she inhaled the mixed scent of books, old woodworks and burning candles - she couldn’t help but find it comforting. In a way it reminded her of her grandfather and his small study and library; a place which she hadn’t technically been allowed access to considering her sex, but which she had snuck into as often as possible regardless. This part of Rosehill House was one of the oldest, and most wonderful, with beautifully carved bookcases running from floor to ceiling, a massive fireplace, comfortable seating, hidden away study spaces, and a handful of large windows letting in just enough light to read in. She loved it almost as much as her own dear garden and conservatory. Almost.

With an audible sigh of relief, she realised Noah was either not around or in the librarian’s study: a separate room but connected to the library itself. Relaxing, she thus moved to where the books on the natural sciences were stored, and a small, loving smile snuck its way onto her face as she looked at the familiar book spines. Many of these books she’d already read, but there was yet so much to learn and discover. Taking her time and enjoying the solitude, she pulled out a few books and studied their contents before selecting a couple and putting them down on a nearby desk before continuing her search. 

The weather outside must have cleared, she realised after a while when a few glimmers of sunlight came in through the windows, small specks of dancing dust visible in the warm rays and bathing her in a dim light. Finishing her selection, Adaline looked upwards, spotting the last book she wanted. Getting up on her toes, she stretched and reached for it, desperately wishing herself taller when her fingers merely brushed the edge of the shelf. About to look for a ladder, it was instead the deep sound of a man clearing his throat that made her spin around, eyes wide.

“Apologies, Miss. Chalcraft, I did not intend to startle you,” Noah spoke softly as he approached her, seeming to her to have appeared out of nowhere. “But please, allow me.” 

_How long has he been watching me?_ Adaline thought, eyes narrowing but she didn’t protest, instead she simply watched him while he easily grabbed the book she’d been reaching for before offering it to her. Extending her hand to take it from him, she smiled politely and yet kept her eyes downcast. “Thank you, Mr. Alexander.”

Carefully wrapping her hand around the book, her delicate fingers ever so lightly touched his, making her glance up and meet his gaze; which was fixed on her. For a brief moment time itself seemed to stop, and she lost herself in his eyes, their colour a golden brown in the hazy sunlight. Noah himself seemed as lost as she felt, a look of mild surprise on his face while he quietly regarding her, their hands still touching.

“Oh, there you are, Mr. Alexander!” With the sound of Hannah’s shrill voice however, the strange spell was broken and they both quickly stepped away from each other, Adaline clutching the book to her chest as she looked at the other woman who was walking up to them, a wide smile on her face. Adaline managed to smile in return, but it felt half-hearted as the lingering feeling of Noah’s touch unnerved her.

“Miss. Perkins,” Noah nodded politely towards Hannah, smiling gently. “I presume you were looking for me? How may I be of assistance today?”

“I was simply returning the book you recommended to me,” Hannah said, a small blush creeping onto her face. “And I wanted to say that I truly enjoyed it, Mr. Alexander, thank you. I must say this Mr. Blake does write well enough, although I find some of his views quite… unconventional. Of course nothing will ever beat Shakespear when it comes to great romance and prose however: For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo!”

“I am pleased that you liked the work of Mr. Blake, Miss. Perkins,” Noah said simply, and Hannah seemed to falter a little as he failed to acknowledge her reciting the famous lines from the romantic play. Adaline knew her friend was very proud of her literary knowledge and ability to memorise lines from the classics, and yet she’d always found her choices and taste somewhat, well, lacking. “I find his work most unique and thought provoking.”

“Oh, uhm, yes,” Hannah muttered, and Adaline quickly spoke to save her friend from embarrassing herself further.

“I am afraid I am not familiar with the work of this Mr. Blake,” she said, happy to expose her own inadequacies - although in this case it was a blatant lie. “Would you mind enlightening me? Perhaps share a personal favourite of his?”

Raising an eyebrow at him, she couldn’t help but offer the small challenge, curious to see if Noah himself could recite poetry or if he was simply coming across as arrogant for the sake of embarrassing poor Miss. Perkins. Glancing over at her, he seemed surprised at first as he ran a thumb across his bottom lip, cheeks almost visibly growing hot before he collected himself. Taking only a brief time to consider, he soon opened his mouth, and the sound of his velvet voice filled the room.

“Never seek to tell thy love  
Love that never told can be  
For the gentle wind does move  
Silently invisibly

I told my love I told my love  
I told her all my heart  
Trembling cold in ghastly fears  
Ah she doth depart

Soon as she was gone from me  
A traveller came by  
Silently invisibly  
O was no deny.”

“Oh, that is simply wonderful, and you recite so beautifully,” Hannah clasped her hands together in admiration, and to her chagrin Adaline had to admit to herself that he did indeed have a lovely voice, with the perfect hint of melancholia to it. “I do not know that one, is it in another book?”

“Afraid not,” Noah shook his head, his dark cheeks seeming to flush hot again at the impressed looks from the two ladies. “Do not be concerned though, very few people do know that specific poem, so it is my honour and privilege to share it with you.”

“Why would you say that one is your favourite, Mr. Alexander?” Adaline asked slowly, genuinely interested and still holding her own book on botany close to her chest. “You do not strike me as a romantic.”

“I am not,” Noah said, the tone of his voice suddenly brusque and he sighed, avoiding her eyes. “Now, if you would excuse me, I am afraid I have work to do. Miss. Perkins, Miss. Chalcraft.”

With a polite nod he left the two of them, striding away towards his study again. _How odd_ , Adaline thought. For the first time he had seemed to be acting in a friendly manner towards her, and then suddenly it was as if he had realised what he was doing and changed his mind again. Would she ever understand him? Part of her had enjoyed this small encounter, almost too much and in a way she didn’t quite understand nor like. Yet he kept treating her with such abrupt disdain she felt like she should dislike him too. It was all just too confusing.

“Is he not wonderful, Ada, and so cultured?” Hannah murmured wistfully, still looking in the direction Noah had gone, her blue eyes large and dreamy.

“Cultured perhaps,” Adaline said and took a deep breath, embracing the support from the soft corset she wore as she straightened before picking up the rest of her small pile of books. “And yet nothing out of the extraordinary I would say.”

“How can you be so cold? Surely even you cannot deny how handsome he is though.”

“He is very handsome, but I do not see why that matters,” Adaline clenched her jaw a little, determined not to let any conflicting feelings show, before she smiled at her friend. “You know we cannot afford any distractions, Hannah, the students will arrive tomorrow and then we will have our hands full. Speaking of which, I have a lot of reading to do, and it has all of a sudden become a lovely day it seems... Mind joining me outside to read for a while?”

“I would love to!” Miss. Perkins perked up at that, and together they headed outside to find a suitable spot in the lush garden, the weather just about warm enough to still be able to enjoy a rare sunny day. Sitting outside, the fresh autumn air seemed to wash all of Ada’s troubles away while she read her books, mentally preparing herself for the next day.

The following day marked the arrival of the student population, and just as anticipated it was pure and utter chaos: A constant stream of coaches and carriages came and went, with servants rushing about carrying luggage and attending to the young ladies, the air filling with the giggling and excited voices of hordes of women. A few cried out in joy at seeing dear friends again, whereas others considered themselves too dignified for such overt shows of emotion.

The teachers all stood gathered in the great entrance hall, to politely welcome the returning students and to greet the new ones - their fathers or other patrons all paid very well to have their daughters admitted, and the staff were expected to be exceptionally courteous and accommodating. The tests the girls sat before admission was mostly for show, but no one could afford to complain or comment on that.

This year however, the teachers seemed to be largely ignored, instead and nearly without fault the young ladies all seemed to be focusing on someone else. Standing tall and seemingly endlessly patient towards the end of the hall, Mr. Noah Alexander nodded and smiled politely at the young ladies, who mumbled and almost stumbled past him. Their reddened cheeks and bursts of loud whispers did nothing to hide their impression of him, with even the older students struggling to conceal their thrill and curiosity at this new addition to the school.

Adaline simply shook her head a little from where she stood, watching a group of some of the youngest students (they were mere children still) giggling as they rushed up the imperial stairs to find their rooms, having just curtsied and greeted the librarian. She really hoped all this excitement would pass soon, or it would all to quickly become unbearable and prove that Marisol had made the wrong call - something she didn’t wish for the headmistress, her position already a precarious one.

“Oh, Miss. Chalcraft!” The loud call coming from the entrance made her turn, a wide smile already on her face as she dearly recognised the voice of the petite, energetic Miss. Chelsea Edwards. With her pale blonde hair, pastel pink dress and a small pug at her heels, she stood out against the crowd, and while Adaline did her best to not have favourites it was impossible not to find Chelsea a particularly charming young lady.

“Miss. Edwards,” she said warmly as the young lady rushed up to her, taking her hands and hugging them in hers. It wasn’t exactly proper, but the Edwards family was so wealthy that Chelsea got away with about everything she did. “I trust you had an enjoyable summer holiday?”

“It was wonderful,” Chelsea beamed, still holding her hands while the pug sniffed around Adaline’s skirts. “Mama says I should prepare for marriage soon, is that not exciting? I spent the season in London of course, and oh, Miss. Chalcraft, it was even better than they said it would be! Papa promises I will make my formal debut next season, once my education is complete and I am ready to be a wife and manage a household. Can you believe it? You must attend my wedding, promise? Please? It will be the event of the year, at least if I get a say, but Papa cannot possibly deny me that, do you think?”

“I doubt Lord Edwards can deny you anything of this world, Miss. Edwards,” Adaline chuckled, and Chelsea finally let go of her hands to pick up her small dog. Pets were usually not allowed, but exceptions could be made in exchange for a, well, _generous_ donation. “You are his one and only daughter after all.”

“What do you think, Mopsey?” Chelsea asked the pug she held, giggling softly. “Do you think I will get to marry a handsome young nobleman soon?”

Still smiling to herself, Adaline’s attention was soon drawn to another young lady heading towards them. Miss. Charlotte Crawford was a beautiful young woman as well: tall, with long tassels of dark blonde hair, striking green eyes and skin so pale it was almost white, and as always she wore black. Exclusively black. During her first years they attempted, ordered by her despairing mother, to make her wear more feminine and cheerful colours, but to no avail.

“I see Mopsey is still with us,” she said, a thin, crooked smile on her face as she regarded them, offering Adaline a polite little nod. Ada smiled in return, not minding the lack of proper greetings knowing Miss. Crawford consistently failed her etiquette classes.

“Ahh, Lottie!” Chelsea shrieked in glee and let her pet down before hugging her friend. “How has your season been? You will not believe who I met at the Rutherford ball! Oh, and my Papa says you will have to visit us someday soon, when school is over of course. Also, have you seen the new librarian? Over there... No, don't look! Is he not handsome?”

“I did not notice,” Lottie said with a slow, exaggerated shrug, but even she kept giving Noah curious glances. “I have always found gentlemen that are too preoccupied with their reading to be incredible bores. Now, Miss. Chalcraft, which poor girl am I sharing my rooms with this year?”

“I believe the two of you are sharing rooms this year, Miss. Edwards, Miss. Crawford,” Adaline said and delicately laughed at the reaction that caused, with even Lottie coming across as being genuinely glad for once.

Soon enough more coaches arrived and they were joined by Miss. Shannon Cullen and Miss. Joanna Evans, completing the quartet that in many ways could be considered to be rather infamous amongst the teachers. Both for good and bad. Miss. Cullen had dark red and curly hair, a splatter of freckles and a strong Irish accent, she was also by far the brightest student in her year. And where Shannon was a well-shaped and curvaceous lady, Miss. Evans was like a twig in comparison. With her pale skin, thin blonde hair and watery grey eyes she was also, unfortunately, rather plain.

The four girls were in their last year of formal education, and Adaline was especially fond of them. The evident joy they felt upon seeing each other again was also infectious, and she laughed along with them as they conversed. The young botany teacher was in a sense adored by them in return, with a few considering her more of a peer than a superior, and Ada wanted it no other way.

“I do believe you should go find your chambers, ladies,” she said after a while, trying to sound strict but her tone was still too lighthearted to be truly effective or menacing. “It is almost dark outside already, and I do not wish to make you late for supper.”

“If you say so, Miss. Chalcraft,” Jo sighed, biting her lip, and looking around the entrance hall, now almost empty. “Did we miss Mr. Alexander? I thought I saw him here earlier?”

“Oh no!” Chelsea craned her neck to quickly scan the room as well. “I had hoped to introduce myself here today, now I might have to go to the library. How dull.”

“Do you even know where the library is?” Shannon asked teasingly, arms crossed and managing to look completely nonchalant. The young Irishwoman had always been difficult to read, with very few ever being gifted with the knowledge of what was going on in that clever head of hers.

“Of course,” Chelsea picked up her pug again, a look of disappointment on her face. “Well, at least I believe I do. Old, dusty room, filled with books, surely it cannot be that difficult to find? Or do you think he enjoys going for walks, or rides? Perhaps I might meet him outside, that would be much more bearable.”

“Or you could just wait for the annual Marlbridge Ball, Chels,” Lottie chimed in, her green eyes seeming to glimmer in the light of the setting sun that flickered in through the windows. “I believe that should take place soon, is that not so, Miss. Chalcraft?”

“Indeed, Miss. Crawford,” Adaline confirmed with a startle, her eyes widening somewhat in surprise as she realised she’d all but forgotten about the forthcoming event. It was a highlight for the students and staff alike; getting to be formally invited to the Marlbridge Academy For Boys and dance with their male equivalents. 

While the four girls quickly bid her a good evening before rushing off and up to the student wing, to find their chambers and settle in before supper. Standing alone in the hall, Adaline found her head suddenly feeling heavy, and sitting down on a stone bench nearby a sense of near overwhelming exhaustion filled her. _Had she really been so distracted she had forgotten about the ball?_ With a sigh she rested her head back against the cold, hard wall, closing her eyes for a moment. _I don’t even have a dress ready, but perhaps Priya will lend me one, or maybe Hannah…_ At least she had remembered now, and a week should be enough time to prepare. She hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week... The annual Marlbridge Academy ball! ✨


	3. Chapter 3

Adaline gave Elladine a smile full of deep gratitude as the elderly woman handed her the bundle of neatly folded fabric. The muslin, cottons and silks were a mixture of pale sage green and white, delicate and splendidly soft to the touch, and finally holding it in her arms like this helped reignite the warm feeling of excitement within her. After a week of anxiously attempting to acquire a suitable evening dress, she could now breathe an air of relief, knowing the ball tonight would not have her showing herself in an embarrassing and unfortunate light. 

_Not that it really matters_ , she tried to convince herself, _it is not like I am in need of impressing anyone, after all I am only attempting to blend in. That’s it._

“Thank you so much, Miss. Sarabi,” she said gently, placing a hand in a protective manner over the small pile of clothes. “You truly do work miracles at times. I am in your debt.”

“Sush, child,” Elladine waved a dismissive hand, but there was nonetheless a satisfied gleam in her eyes; the mark of someone proud of their work and skill. “It was my pleasure, although I do wish you had not given me so little time. You should know that handing me such a large amount of work to complete in one day does nothing at all to soothe my poor nerves. You young ladies do truly need to start preparing better for these events. When _I_ was young we were never unprepared for a ball, especially not when it comes to something as important as to what to wear!”

“Yes, indeed,” Adaline stifled a laugh, doing her best to seem solemn as she accepted the scolding. Elladine had a tendency to treat everyone younger than her as children, which by now included, well, everyone. “You have my sincerest apologies, Miss. Sarabi, and I promise to do better in the future.”

“I am sure you will, my dear,” Elladine said, nodding and seemingly content with the apology offered to her. “Run along now, the carriages will be here all too soon and surely you do not intend to keep your hair like that? I know these recent fashions are moving along all too quickly, with some of you young ladies insisting on not even covering your hair when outside - I blame the French, they have no taste whatsoever - but surely we have not regressed this far….”

Patiently nodding along, and with a soft smile on her face, Adaline grew increasingly restless until she finally managed to excuse herself before she hurried along down the corridor. The old wooden floor squeaked even under her light steps as she quickly made her way back to her chambers, but the sound was largely deafened by the other women rushing about and chatting amongst themselves all along the teacher’s wing. Priya and Hannah were already in the room of course, busy readying themselves and eagerly discussing who they hoped to dance with at the ball. They were technically meant to be chaperones for the students, but no one ever seemed particularly keen to remind the others of that fact.

Skirts, chemises, corsets, petticoats, gloves and ribbons were flung all over the place, and the room was filled with the near overwhelming scents of Priya’s impressive perfume collection mixed with the softer smell of face powder. Miss. Patel herself was currently daintily perched on a wooden chair in front of the looking glass, while Miss. Perkins was meticulously working on her long, dark locks of thick hair.

“How did the dress turn out, Ada? Oh I do hope it fits you better now,” Priya said, beginning to turn her head to look at her, clearly curious, but was immediately told off by a focused Hannah and sighed, facing the mirror once more.

“I believe it will, at least Miss. Sarabi seemed pleased with her work. In between her exasperations regarding my unpreparedness, that is.” Adaline spoke while she hurried to get changed, taking off her drab and brown everyday outfit in favour of this most beautiful evening gown. She felt no shame about getting undressed with them in the room, not any longer, as the two of them were the closest she had gotten to having sisters. At least this was what she liked to think having sisters would have been like. She only had her older brother, Andrew, and they had never been particularly close. Not due to any fault of their own, truly, but rather caused by their parents so evidently favouring and prioritising their oldest child over Adaline.

At last finished with Miss. Patel’s hair, Hannah got behind Ada to help with the short corset, layers and many ribbons of the gown itself, expertly tying and folding everything in place until she stepped away with a satisfied nod and wide smile. Glancing down and smoothing the skirts, Adaline was tempted to do a twirl, but restrained herself to a simple smile at her friends. The dress itself had been gifted to her by Priya, who had insisted that sage and white wasn’t a good colour combination for her anyways and that she would not accept for her best friend to go to a ball in an old, unbecoming dress.

“Beautiful,” Miss. Perkins said in admiration. She herself wore a white dress, with a few accents of pink, and her hair was already set in a fashionably curled updo to complete the image of a perfectly proper young lady. “Now we just need to do something about that hair of yours.”

“You mean pick out all the leaves and strands of grass? Inconceivable,” Priya teased while picking up two different pairs of gloves, carefully considering which ones to choose. As always she favoured deeper colours; her dress was in a very flattering shade of burnt orange that had delicate embroidery around the hem. “While I am usually excessively humble, I must admit that I chose remarkably well. You look divine, dear Ada.”

“Thank you, Priya,” Adaline spoke sincerely, looking over at her own reflection and felt her cheeks grow hot at what she saw. Now that it was altered it fit her perfectly, as if it had been made for her from the start and not adjusted in a rush. In it she felt beautiful, and what she saw in the looking glass seemed to justify that feeling for once, giving her pause. Feeling Hannah’s hand on her shoulder, pressing downwards, she tore her eyes from her reflection and sat down to let the redhead attempt at making her hair seem prim and neat for once. Working in the conservatory and garden did not exactly facilitate feminine propriety, but with the aid of her friends all three of them were soon ready for the annual Marlbridge Academy ball.

The boys academy itself was not far away. On a clear day it was even possible to walk or ride the distance between the two estates, only a shared forest truly separated the large school grounds, but it was enough to deter the students from sneaking over. Most of the time. The horse-drawn coaches on the other hand had to travel the long way round, and so by the time they arrived the sun was already setting. That, however, only seemed to enhance the grandeur of the place, bathing it in light that reflected off the multiple widows in a splendid display of colour.

Marlbridge Academy was larger, older, and in many ways more glorious than Rosehill House, with an impeccable reputation and proud history. The regality of the place never failed to make an impression on Adaline, and with its gilded gates and elegantly carved stone façade it truly was a magnificent place. Not to mention wealthy. The students here were all from some of the best families in the country, with a few even being nobility, and the staff were all carefully selected with every new position being highly sought after.

Stepping inside, the marvelous entrance hall almost took her breath away as she took in her surroundings while the other women fluttered about her, greeted by the servants and men of the school. The flickering lights of the candles cast the marbled interior in a warm light and made the many golden accents glimmer, and she marvelled at the statue in the centre of the room, standing just in front of the imperial staircase leading upstairs. It depicted the king who had established the school centuries ago, and looking up at it she suddenly felt so very small. Having been here only once before, the year prior for the same event, she still felt a little out of place in a setting such as this, and again found herself mentally thanking Priya for gifting her such a beautiful dress. _I should not feel such need to please, not anymore,_ she thought to herself, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself and her vanity. _It’s why I became a teacher rather than a wife._

“Miss. Chalcraft.” The sound of a male voice made her blink, leaving her train of thought and looking away from the statue and to her left, where a handsome man had just excused himself from another group of women before making his way over to her. “How lovely it is to see you again.”

“Mr. Koh,” Adaline smiled and curtsied as Mr. Lucas Koh, the headmaster of the academy, bowed his head towards her with a friendly look on his face. He was a very handsome man; having just entered his forties he still only had a few streaks of grey in his otherwise sleek and black hair, his Korean heritage serving him well. Mr. Koh was also the perfect gentleman, always greeting the Rosehill staff personally upon arrival, and welcoming them to his domain while the students moved excitedly about. “I am glad to see you look so well. To be completely honest, I do not think you have aged at all in the year since we first met. What is your secret?”

“Thank you,” he chuckled. “I do however believe you are being too kind with me, although I think I recall that being one of your most charming qualities upon our last meeting as well. Now, if you please, Miss. Chalcraft, would you allow me to escort you to our ballroom?”

Despite her intentions, Adaline found herself feeling flattered at his attention and compliments, and she gracefully accepted his arm when offered to her. Smiling, she looked over her shoulder trying to locate Priya and Hannah, but instead her gaze fell on Mr. Alexander. Standing alone by the entrance, having evidently just entered the building himself, Noah was dashing in his dark coat, cream trousers and crisp white shirt - and he was looking at her. 

His expression was unreadable as his eyes lingered on her while she walked upstairs, accompanied by Mr. Koh, and she felt her heart skip a beat before she hurriedly looked away, determined to not let him cloud her mind. _I am here to enjoy myself_ , she thought while politely conversing with Lucas, _not to let some arrogant man distract me_. Luckily she forgot about Noah and the way he had looked at her at once upon entering the magnificent ballroom, and the sound of music and crowds of people filled her ears. Three large chandeliers hung from the ceiling here, and there were grand mirrors along one wall, while the wall directly opposite having tall windows that in the daytime would have provided a glorious view of the gardens. Smiling to herself, she vividly remembered feeling just as impressed the first time she had seen the room.

While she was busy admiring the place, Lucas gestured for a servant before carefully handing her a drink that she happily accepted, seeing as the dancing was yet to begin. For now the students were largely mingling amongst themselves, with shy introductions being made and acquaintances seeing each other again. Adaline did keep an eye on them of course, particularly the younger and more inexperienced ladies, but it was mostly the older teachers who would ensure nothing improper happened, allowing her to relax.

“Will you promise to save me a dance, Miss. Chalcraft?” Lucas asked, smiling as he sipped his own drink. “I am not sure I could forgive myself if I missed the chance this year as well, and I do believe most of my teachers wish to dance with you as well.”

“It would be an honour, Mr. Koh,” she replied, genuinely excited at the prospect. The Marlbridge headmaster was said to be a wonderful dancer. “Although I think you might be overestimating both my charm and popularity, not that I am not grateful for the compliments.”

“I could never overestimate you,” came his simple reply, before he bowed his head towards her. “Miss. Chalcraft.”

Curtseying, Adaline looked after him feeling certain her cheeks had a visible tinge of red to them. Mr. Koh always had that effect on women it seemed, which was probably why he was held in such high regard amongst the women of Rosehill House. Holding her drink in one hand, Ada slowly started to make her way around the room, soon enough managing to locate both Miss. Patel and Miss. Perkins.

“I cannot believe you were lucky enough to be escorted by Mr. Koh himself!” Priya exclaimed in a loud whisper, grinning knowingly at Ada. “Is he not wonderful?”

“And a true gentleman,” Hannah added wistfully, eyes gleaming as they roamed across the room. “What did you talk about? Did he compliment your dress? Oh he must have, but please tell me you were kindly in return, Ada? You can be so harsh at times.”

“I was perfectly polite,” Adaline chuckled, earning a raised eyebrow from Priya that made her go on. “And he made me promise to save him a dance later.”

Squealing in delight, the two of them pried her for more information, smiling and giggling while also surveying the other available men. There were unfortunately not many that were young and handsome, and those that were would be longingly looked after by all the ladies hoping to be asked for a dance. Mr. Ibrahim Chapman was one such man, with his ebony skin and clear eyes, but he was also unfortunately known as a poor conversationalist and dancer. Mr. Jakub Zabinsky on the other hand, while a pleasant enough dance partner, was considered too fond of wine, women and himself. Both were preferable to old Mr. Felix Brimble however, who was commonly referred to as the ‘toe crusher’.

The music picking up, the trio was soon enough invited to dance and the ball began in earnest, with both students and teachers coming together on the dancefloor, accompanied by the cheerful tunes from the musicians positioned on a balcony above.

“Who is that young gentleman? By Miss. Edwards?” Adaline asked while passing Miss. Perkins, this song just slow enough to allow for conversation. By now she had come close to losing count of the number of dances she had done in a row, and the feeling of beads of sweat forming on her brow let her know it was soon time for a break.

“I believe that is Mr. Miles,” Hannah replied once they were close enough together again, having also glanced at where Chelsea was standing with one of the male students: a tall, lanky fellow with pale skin and dark hair. He was whispering something in the blonde’s ear, making her cover her mouth with a gloved hand. “Eldest son of an Earl I think, although I do not know the family well.”

“Is he not promised to Miss. Allegra Knightly?” Adaline frowned a little, finally recognising the boy as Mr. Jasper Miles, but she was unable to contemplate it much as she moved along with the other dancers. Hannah also seemed perplexed, offering her a shrug as they passed once more.

“I thought so too, Miss. Edwards better be cautious of her reputation. Although he would be a good match for her. His father earns over 8,000 pounds a year they say!”

Mouthing the sum back in disbelief Adaline nodded back in agreement. That truly would be a good match for young Miss. Edwards. Yet, even as she stepped away from the dancefloor, in need of a rest and some air, she found herself keeping a keen eye on the bright eyed student, not wanting her young naiveté and innocence to cause her to fall victim to shallow male attention and flattery.

Catching her breath, she accepted a glass of wine before finding a more secluded corner to watch from. She rather liked just observing the others, enjoying a brief amount of solitude while quietly noting the natural groups that formed, in addition to seeing who the most eager dancers were, and who didn’t dance at all. The youngest students were too shy to excessively partake, it was the same every year, but they nonetheless seemed to delight in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, Miss. Charlotte Crawford was dancing her third dance with Mr. Gary Rennell, seemingly smitten by the handsome young man with his short blonde hair and stocky build. Miss. Joanna Evans and Miss. Shannon Cullen on the other hand were having what looked to be a lively discussion with Mr. Henrik Åkerblom and his friend Mr. Timothy Thompson. Henrik and Tim were known as the inseparable troublemakers of Marlbridge Academy, their reputation having travelled all the way to Rosehill House, but as long the conversation seemed to remain proper Adaline was not going to interfere.

While she was observing the crowds her ears perked up as she picked up on the sound of deep male voices nearby, one of which she recognised as belonging to Mr. Alexander. Glancing over she saw him standing with Ibrahim, clearly engaged in conversation. _I should not be listening in_ , she thought while gently sipping her wine, _but I also cannot interrupt them…_

“How are you finding Rosehill so far?” Ibrahim was asking Noah. There was a familiarity to the tone that let her know that the two men already knew each other from before, which only made her more curious. “I have heard it is a rather, uhm, old-fashioned place. I was surprised when you said you would apply for a position there. Still am, to be frank.”

“I was surprised with myself too,” Noah smiled and ran his thumb along his bottom lip while contemplating his reply, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “And the place itself is agreeable enough, although I spend most of my time outside or in the library, which is a rather impressive one I must say.”

“Of course you spend your days with your books,” Rahim chuckled, shaking his head. “And the ladies?”

“Kind enough, but unremarkable,” Mr. Alexander shrugged, looking down at the empty glass he was slowly twirling in one hand, making it impossible for her to even attempt to read his expression. “Which is probably for the best, as it allows me to focus on my work and other interests. You know how it is.” 

“I am not sure I believe you, friend. Either you are blind or simply lying, but I will not press you on such a sensitive matter.” Mr. Chapman even placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder at that. “Especially when one considers—”

Adaline felt the blood drain from her face as Ibrahim’s eyes fell on her and he instantly stopped mid-sentence, lips momentarily pressed tight before his expression softened again. Whatever he had been about to say was clearly not meant for her ears, but besides a flicker of nervousness she saw no anger on his face.

“Miss. Chalcraft, how pleasant it is to see you again,” he said gently, and she stepped closer, knowing there was no point in trying to excuse herself now. She would rather join the two men in polite conversation than face further embarrassment.

Finally taking note of her as well, Noah’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Seemingly nervous at her presence he restlessly shifted his weight from one leg to the other, and struggled with where to look before he at last found himself able to mutter her name at the very least. “Miss. Chalcraft.”

“Mr. Chapman, Mr. Alexander,” Ada greeted them in return, doing her best to seem nonchalant and not like someone who’d just been caught eavesdropping. “I hope you are both enjoying yourselves? I saw you dancing with Miss. Patel earlier, Mr. Chapman, and you seemed very much at ease.”

“Not due to any talent on my part, I am afraid, I still have my two left feet. That was all thanks to Miss. Patel,” Ibrahim said. “She is a very skilled lady, and your dear friend, if I am not mistaken?”

“She is indeed,” Adaline confirmed, smiling warmly in pleasant surprise at his observation, although she suspected Priya had told him as much herself. “And you are very much right, she is almost as graceful as our dance teacher herself. Do you dance, Mr. Alexander?”

“Not if I can help it,” Noah spoke without looking at her, his face turned towards the dancefloor, but his brown eyes seemed unfocused, distracted. Ibrahim raised his eyebrows at his friend at that, a small frown of confusion forming between his brows before giving Adaline an apologetic look. She herself was about to formulate a reply, to end the moment of awkward silence, just as they were interrupted again.

“Ahh, gentlemen!” The booming voice of Mr. Zabinsky made her jump as the large man strolled up to their small group, a confident grin on his face and his cheeks reddened - a clear sign he had already consumed a generous amount of drink. “Oh, and a lady? I did not see you there, my apologies. I am Mr. Zabinsky, a pleasure.”

The other two men looked horrified at the rude entrance and how he had simply introduced himself in such a direct manner, but Adaline did not let it shock her. She had dealt with similarly improper behaviour before. What did surprise her however, was that it was Mr. Alexander who spoke up, facing the bullish man with a polite smile and trying to salvage the situation.

“Mr. Zabinsky, may I present Miss. Adaline Chalcraft, botany teacher at Rosehill House,” he said matter-of-factly, briefly glancing over at her and his expression softened. “Miss. Chalcraft, this is Mr. Zabinsky, sports and games instructor at Marlbridge Academy.”

“Botany?” Jakub looked miffed, ignoring Noah and looking down at Adaline with something akin to a confused scowl on his face. “I did not know young ladies were in need of such skills? Surely they should focus on more feminine accomplishments, not dig around in soil like some lowly servants with dirtied hands.”

“I am sure there is more to it than that,” Ibrahim said gently, trying to ease the rapidly rising tension as Adaline’s smile faded, her eyes narrowing. “The study of nature is key to understanding our world, and for women to learn their place in it, surely? Besides, flowers are delicate, just like women, would you not agree?” 

The argument coming from Mr. Chapman was far from an elegant one, largely due to him not sounding convinced himself, instead flailing in a poor attempt at saving Adaline’s honour. Jakub simply shrugged and sipped his drink, now looking at his colleague with mild amusement. “Perhaps, but then why not paint them, or simply admire them otherwise in a more dignified way? I believe an accomplished lady should be able to depict God’s creation using brush, needle and words, without straining herself in an unbecoming manner. There is no need to distract these young ladies from the finer arts and gentle gifts associated with their sex, it is improper and has no place in high society.”

“You seem to be under the impression that to work with plants and soil is the work of servants, Mr. Zabinsky,” Adaline said cooly, sounding more agitated than she wanted to, but she couldn't help herself. Noah and Ibrahim both avoided looking at her, and neither seemed inclined to speak up in her defence, which only served to anger her further. “But then surely it would be the most fitting study of all for young women to partake in, would you not agree? Seeing as what we are striving to achieve is to prepare these gifted young ladies for good marriages, which involves the complete surrender of personal sovereignty in favour of promising to _serve_ one's husband until death.”

“Have I caused you offence, Miss. Chalcraft?” Jakub’s lips had turned into a small grimace, and he looked quite taken aback by her sarcastic retort. Adaline suddenly noticed how firmly she was holding the stem of her wine glass, and she loosened her grip, but she did not break eye contact with him. “Or do you simply regard marriage with such distaste due to having failed at securing a husband on your own?”

At that, her heart dropped and she had to concentrate to steady herself while her eyes darted from Jakub and to the two other men, both fearing and wanting to see their reaction to the exchange. Ibrahim looked sympathetically at her, clearly having thought along the same lines as Jakub. Noah however was staring at his feet, evidently uncomfortable and still swirling the glass in his hand. _Is he also embarrassed on my behalf? Thinking I am simply a sad spinster who failed at a woman’s role in life?_ The thought made a lump form in her throat, and she realised she’d actually thought better of him. Just then he glanced up at her and met her steady gaze, a concerned look on his face, but it was too late.

“Please, excuse me,” she managed to utter, feeling so ashamed and ridiculed. Doing her best to maintain a shred of dignity, she nodded and turned to leave, finding herself searching for an escape - somewhere to hide.

She did not get far however, as Mr. Koh chose that moment to approach her, asking for her to fulfil her promise to him. “Miss. Chalcraft?” He sounded almost concerned as he approached her, did she look that dishelled? Although he took note of her troubled state, he did not enquire about it, instead offering her a smile. “I believe you owe me a dance?”

At first, she was about to refuse and come up with some excuse about feeling ill or the like, but then she changed her mind. _No, I will not let them get to me,_ she decided, _I cannot allow myself to be so affected by the opinions of others, not on a beautiful night like this._ “Of course, I will not be known as the one to break a promise, Mr. Koh. It would be an honour.”

Nodding, he offered her his arm, and she smiled as he swept her along and into the most joyful dance of the night. Mr. Zabinsky and Mr. Chapman were no concern of hers, she would most likely not even have to see them until the next ball. Mr. Alexander, on the other hand, she could not rid her mind off quite so easily, but for the rest of the night she pointedly ignored him. Tonight, she had concluded, was for her and her friends. So, allowing herself to get carried away, she finally laughed again, her dress twirling around her feet as she danced under the glittering light from the chandeliers almost until dawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those of you reading this story, and I hope you're enjoying it so far! 💛


	4. Chapter 4

“And then he took my hand, and kissed it!” Chelsea was doing her best to speak in hushed tones, but she was very much failing at it. In her excitement she was speaking both faster and louder, unable to constrain herself. “It was so romantic, and I was utterly terrified someone would see us. I mean, I am all but certain none of the teachers would approve but—”

“No, we most certainly would not,” Adaline had been standing behind the four of them for a while now, arms crossed but with a mildly amused look on her face. Chelsea, Lottie, Shannon and Jo were sitting together in a small huddle, pretending to be working on the task assigned to them, but they were not fooling anyone, let alone their teacher. Now however, as they turned and came face to face with her, realising she’d heard the whole conversation, Ada struggled to remain stern. Their surprised faces were just a bit too priceless - all but Shannon’s that was. Miss. Cullen just narrowed her eyes and pouted a bit, but otherwise hid her emotions masterfully as per usual.

“Apologies, Miss. Chalcraft.” Chelsea’s face had turned bright pink, perfectly matching her delicate dress, and she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. “I am all too distracted today it seems. That ball was simply too wonderful and Mr. Miles is so perfectly charming, do you not agree?”

“I still do not approve of him,” Miss. Crawford said - she wore black of course - with a crooked little smile on her face. “He is all too confident in himself, without having shown any truly praiseworthy merits. Mr. Rennell on the other hand…”

“... is both dense when it comes to his build and general common sense,” Shannon chimed in, completing the sentence for Lottie and earning an eye roll in return. 

“You are simply jealous, Shannon,” Lottie said, but the slight annoyance on her face told Ada the words had gotten to her, which was surprising. Never had she seen Miss. Crawford remain infatuated by a gentleman for long though, so she assumed this too would pass soon enough. Mr. Rennell did seem affable enough, although with a wandering eye that she doubted Lottie would tolerate for long.

“And how is your flower cutting going, ladies?” Adaline said, once more having to interrupt them as they started discussing the boys. Again. Standing calmly and with her hands folded, she internally sighed at their youthful excitement. Had she been like that once? She wasn’t that much older than them, and yet sometimes it felt like they were a world apart. Then again, she _had_ been in love once. “While I know plant propagation does naturally occur, I am afraid that in this case you will have to help it along to get the wanted results. I do unfortunately believe you are confusing your _Pelargoniums_ with your _Osteospermus_ as well, Miss. Evans. You are also supposed to be drawing the leaves for species identification and research, Miss. Edwards, not using the paper to draft imaginary love letters.”

“Apologies, Miss. Chalcraft, I am just so awfully distracted today it seems,” Chelsea batted her eyelashes, putting on her most innocent expression. Ada knew it all too well by now. “Surely you understand? We saw you dancing with Mr. Koh after all, and were quite taken by how graceful you are, Miss. Chalcraft, and is not Mr. Koh dashing?”

“What Mr. Koh is or is not is none of my concern, and neither is it yours,” she replied, not about to let the students distract her with talk of the ball, although it was very much still on her mind as well. Perhaps not for the reasons they thought however. She did keep her tone light hearted though, she did not see much point in being angry at them, that was not her method of teaching. “It also will not help you with your assignment, which you are now in a rush to complete as today’s lesson is almost over. I doubt you would want to come back here after supper to complete it?”

That mild threat was enough to make the four of them groan and turn back to their task; cutting flowers, taking notes and making drawings of them before finishing the process by replanting the cuttings for propagation. Adaline hadn’t gotten far away however before she overheard them eagerly discussing boys and the ball again, this time mentioning Mr. Henrik Åkerblom and Mr. Timothy Thompson, and whether or not they _really_ would dare to sneak over to the girls’ school.

Shaking her head, she nonetheless smiled fondly as she went to assist some of the other students. _Let them have their fun while they can_ , she thought to herself as she inspected a drawing, providing feedback as needed. _They will have to face the expectations of the world soon enough, sacrificing everything to become wives and mothers. Yet, that seems to be precisely what most of them want more than anything else, no matter the sense of curiosity and independence I attempt to instill in them. So perhaps I should not judge them for it. Maybe it is me there is something wrong with after all, and I am just becoming a bitter old spinster, exactly as Mr. Zabinsky suggested?_

That thought made a small crease form between her brows, but she was quick to wipe the expression off her face, exchanging it for a pleasant smile as the class ended and the students got up to take their leave from the large conservatory, which was fitted with desks and stayed pleasantly warm all year round. Unlike the orangerie, it was also conveniently connected to the main building, making moving between classes a lot easier and with less of a risk of exposure to the elements for the dainty young ladies. Miss. Charlotte Crawford, however, lingered and waited until the others had left before approaching, her green eyes flickering to the side to ensure the others had left before slowly speaking her question.

“Apologies, Miss. Chalcraft,” she sounded almost embarrassed. “I simply wished to enquire - for scientific purposes - which flower is considered to be the most romantic?” Biting her bottom lip, Lottie wrung her hands together and a small blush even spread across her pale cheeks.

“Well, that would depend on how you define romantic,” Adaline answered slowly, her eyebrows raised in a mildly bemused expression. This was not the question she had expected from the confident girl, far from it, but she was happy to answer to the best of her abilities. “Some would say myrtle, which signifies love and marriage, would be the correct answer, and it is certainly one of the most direct ones. You might also wish to consider morning glory for affection, or if you are daring: a red lily for passion. Roses are an obvious choice, with red for deeper feelings of love, and pink to represent the beginning of something more. Yet none of these truly represent something lasting, I find, and it all depends on the recipient having an understanding of their meaning as well. It is all up for interpretation really, and for some a four-leaf clover would be the most precious gift to receive out of all of them.”

“A four-leaf clover?” Lottie frowned, her thin lips pressed firmly together for a moment as she considered. “Is that not a bit, well, boring? And what on earth does it mean?”

“‘Be mine’,” Adaline said simply, one corner of her mouth turning slightly upwards as she could practically see the cogs turning inside Lottie’s head while she considered this. “Although the language of flowers is not exactly a science, and others would say a four-leaf clover grants one the power to see fairies. In other words, I would perhaps not go rushing outside in an attempt to find one immediately if I were you.”

“I am not so sure about that,” Miss. Crawford grinned mischievously, “I have always wanted to see fairies.”

Laughing, Adaline opened her mouth to reply, right when the sound of gentle knocking made both the women turn abruptly, the interruption being an unexpected one. Her smile faded though, once she saw it was Mr. Alexander who stood in the doorway leading into the large, sunlit room. His right hand was in a loose fist, hovering just by the wooden doorframe and he had a hesitant look on his face, as if he already regretted this decision. And in his left hand… _Is that a stick?_ Ada raised an eyebrow, Noah catching her expression and instantly seeming rattled by her mere presence.

“Apologies,” he said, almost stumbling over the word as he glanced from Adaline to Lottie, clearly surprised to see a student was still there. “I, uhm, did not know you had company, Miss. Chalcraft. I will just come back another time.”

“Not at all, Mr. Alexander,” Adaline said before he had time to turn and leave. Keeping the tone of her voice neutral she kept her eyes fixed on him, her curiosity piqued. What did he want? “Miss. Crawford here was just about to leave, her etiquette class is about to begin I believe.”

“Precisely,” Lottie nodded, shooting a curious glance her way, which Adaline pointedly ignored. She knew rumours would start flourishing regardless but she didn’t have to encourage them by letting any feelings show, this was a simple meeting between colleagues after all. Wasn’t it? “I will be on my way then. Miss. Chalcraft, Mr. Alexander.”

Lottie gave them a shallow curtsy before she hurried past Noah and to her next class, giving him a look-over and a smirk before she was gone. Thus Adaline was left alone in the bright conservatory - with dirt on her hands and with a couple of leaves stuck in her hair - standing between desks and vast amounts of greenery that were in various stages of growth, looking at an awkwardly shuffling Noah.

“So,” her gaze shifted from looking after Lottie and back to Noah, “how may I be of assistance, Mr. Alexander?” Her jaw clenched ever so slightly as she was reminded of the night of the ball, and how he had remained silent even when she had been ridiculed by Jakub. She wouldn’t blame him for it though. He was just like everybody else.

Stepping into the autumn sunlight, Noah closed the heavy doors behind himself before turning to face her, a shy little smile on his lips. “I did not mean to interrupt,” he stepped closer, “but there is something that has been on my mind, bothering me, for the last few days, and I am afraid only you can alleviate my troubles, Miss. Chalcraft.”

“How so?” Adaline looked up at him, noticing how well-defined his features were up close, with a strong jawline and high cheekbones, and yet his face had a kind softness to it. Then there were those eyes of his…

“I should have said something, at the Marlbridge Ball,” he said, carefully choosing his words and thankfully not having taken note of her staring. “I am, uhm, embarrassed at my own failure to speak up on your behalf, as I should have and which, truly, I wanted to. What you do here, for these young women, is pure and worthy, and yet I failed to find the right words at the time. I also fear that I might not have treated you fairly from the first, Miss. Chalcraft, instead allowing myself to act out of character. I promise this has nothing to do with your person, as I have come to admire you greatly, both as a colleague and hopefully; a friend. Is it in that regard I am here, to apologise and ask for your forgiveness, although I do not expect it or feel I am deserving considering my failings thus far. Still...”

He lifted his left hand and held it out towards her, finally allowing her a closer look at that stick he was holding. “An olive branch?” Raising her eyebrows in surprise, she reached out and carefully accepted it, the poor thing was a bit worse for wear but she smiled a little nonetheless. “A bit on the nose, would you not say, Mr. Alexander?”

“Oh, I, uhm, perhaps,” Noah looked flustered, running a hand through his dark hair and smiling nervously, struggling with where to look before his eyes finally settled on her again. “I guess I, ah, should have thought this through more…”

“Also, does this mean you cut a branch of one of my precious olive trees?” For some reason she couldn't keep herself from teasing him further, and she struggled not to smile as he squirmed in front of her. _Just a little teasing can’t hurt_ , she thought to herself, _it serves him well._

“I, well, yes,” he muttered, shifting his weight and his cheeks even seemed to be turning a dark red before he sighed in defeat. “This is not going well, is it? I come to apologise, only to make a further fool of myself.”

Adaline finally let out a small, soft laugh and he looked at her in surprise. “I accept your apology, Mr. Alexander, and the olive branch.”

“Oh, you do?” The look on his face was one of such sweet relief, bordering on disbelief, that she found herself involuntarily softening towards him. “I thought I had utterly ruined any chance of saving any notion of a, ehm, friendship between us.”

“You were close, Mr. Alexander,” she smiled while placing the olive branch down on the desk closest to her. “But I will not carry a grudge, it would not serve either of us. Although I do wish to know why though? Why you have been acting so cold towards me. Have I given you any reason to behave so? Or has my family’s reputation finally reached London?”

“The latter,” he admitted hesitantly, wetting his lips, but as his gaze met hers he seemed to relax once more, the tension leaving his eyes. “I do not think you could cause me any offence, Miss. Chalcraft, and if you do I believe I will have earned it.”

The way he spoke, his deep velvet voice suddenly so soft, sent a shiver down her spine, and it was now her turn to feel flustered. Looking away, she wrapped her arms around herself to stop herself from fidgeting. “You barely know me, Mr. Alexander. I might be my father’s daughter more than you think.” Her father was a drunk and a gambler, having brought the family nothing but ruin and clearly tarnishing their name beyond repair. It was something she had long feared would happen, and while her brother was doing the best to save what little honour they had left, she had sought the safety of obscurity - but not even Rosehill House could keep her completely hidden from the outside world.

“I doubt that,” he said, moving just a little closer and Ada became acutely aware of the fact that it was just the two of them. _Alone_. Forcefully, she tried to remind herself that she didn’t like him, but instead she became very aware of her dirty dress and tangled hair. “I may not know you well, but from what I can tell you are both generous and gracious, and strong-willed, if I may say so. All in a way I have come to greatly respect and admire.”

“Well, thank you, Mr. Alexander.” For once Adaline felt at a loss of words, and as she looked up at him she could feel her face growing hot. That was rare indeed. With a small huff, she quickly stepped away from him and towards one of the desks, starting to tidy up the mess left after the students. “Now, I am afraid I have work to do, but once more: I forgive you, and thank you for the kind words.”

“You are most welcome.” Feeling his eyes on her, she avoided looking up in favour of focusing on her task. She could, however, see and hear his feet as he shifted his weight a bit before speaking again. “If, uhm, you ever require any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. I am your humble servant, Miss. Chalcraft.”

With that, he bowed politely towards her before taking his leave. Only once his back was turned towards her again, did she allow herself to glance back up. Even after he had left the room and the door had firmly shut behind him, she found herself looking after him. Why did her heart seem to beat faster in her chest? _I was just not prepared for such a sincere apology, that is all,_ she told herself while she picked up the olive branch again. Her expression however softened as she twirled it between two fingers, lost in thought, and she smiled to herself as the sweet image of the handsome young librarian filled her mind. The way he had focused on her, that _look_ in his eyes, had seemed to envelop her completely in a manner making her now feel a mixture of agitation and elation, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

Finding themselves with some spare time between lessons and tea, Adaline and Priya had later that day decided to use the last few hours of sunlight to enjoy a ride on the school grounds. Miss. Anna-Julia Jones, the riding instructor, had happily prepared two horses for them - she loved the stables and was by far the most active and unconventional member of staff. For one, she only wore trousers and never attended any balls. Most strange.

“Mr. Alexander came to see me today,” Adaline finally admitted after Priya had spent the better part of an hour trying to pry her for information while they slowly rode along the path by the lake. She had of course noticed that Ada seemed a little distracted, Miss. Patel always noticed these things. “To apologise for his behaviour towards me.”

“Finally,” Priya laughed softly but with an intrigued expression on her face, and she glanced over at her. “I did wonder when he would finally gather enough courage to go see you, dear Ada.”

“What on earth would he need courage for?” Adaline asked with a smile, it was a rhetorical question of course, she knew she had a tendency to be a little, well, direct at times. “I did not scare him away, don’t worry, Priya.”

“Good,” her friend laughed. “The poor man has been unquestionably unnerved ever since the ball, you know. He almost seems taken by you, if I am completely honest.”

“Nonsense, he simply felt guilt at not speaking up to support me and for holding certain prejudices, nothing more.” Adaline tightened her grip on the reins somewhat, straightening in the saddle and looking ahead towards the grand main building and the stables they were now heading back to. The memory of beautiful brown eyes resting upon her still flashed across her mind though.

“If you say so,” Priya did not sound convinced however, and after thinking for a little she turned to look at her again. “Although I think there is something you may want to know, but only if you ask me to tell you…”

 _She knows me too well_ , she internally sighed. Her curiosity was her greatest weakness, and although she knew she shouldn’t be interested at all in Noah and what he did or didn’t think of her, she couldn’t stop herself. “Fine, what is it I may want to know then?”

“Well,” Priya spoke excruciatingly slowly, a satisfied gleam in her eyes. “After you went to dance with Mr. Koh - the two of you looked beautiful together, I must say. Oh, don’t look at me like that, Ada, you did! Anyways, while you were dancing I did notice that a certain Mr. Alexander could not take his eyes off you. Yes, _you_ , not the other women. Or Mr. Koh for that matter. He seemed positively captivated!”

“Due to embarrassment,” Ada muttered, doing her utmost to sound dismissive of the notion that Noah had shown any interest towards her. “Nothing more.”

“He did not seem embarrassed,” Priya chuckled, “and then he came to see you today... Well, all I can say is that you most definitely are having an effect on our poor librarian, and I doubt you are completely unaffected either, Ada. Soon you will be speaking his name longingly in your sleep!”

“Priya!” Adaline exclaimed, eyes widening at her friend’s forwardness. Priya on the other hand just laughed, a delightful sound, before kicking her heels into the side of her mount and galloping away.

“Race you back!” Miss. Patel smiled over her shoulder, and Adaline couldn’t help but grin back at her before quickly following suit, urging her horse to catch up as the two of them raced across the grounds, the sun slowly setting behind them.


	5. Chapter 5

The following days were heavy with rain, of the kind that seemed like it would never end and that was accompanied by thick mist. Days were quickly growing shorter as well, with All Hallow’s Eve fast approaching. Not that they took much note of the pagan event, all autumnal celebrations were reserved for Guy Fawkes Day and bonfire night only. By now, the trees had completed their transformation into their full autumn dress; looking splendid in glorious shades of red, yellow and orange. But with the current weather it was almost impossible to enjoy and put a damper on everyone’s mood. Or, almost everyone, that was.

Adaline was feeling less on edge than she had for weeks. She hadn’t even realised how tense she had been until the unseen burden was lifted off her shoulders. Ever since Noah’s arrival, a sense of annoyance - if not almost anger - at the perceived arrogance and distaste from the new librarian had filled her mind. Now however he was at least treating her with civility, although he still seemed to grow nervous when in her presence, but these days she found it almost… sweet. Between classes and greenery to tend to she didn’t have time to ponder such things for long though. Besides, it made her uncomfortably aware of feelings she had worked hard to suppress, and so she was content with things finally being amicable between them. Now it just had to remain that way.

As the weather finally cleared, making way for a few days of crisp, dry weather, it was quickly decided that they all would seize the opportunity and spend a Saturday outdoors to go apple picking. The school had a lovely and diverse orchard, and something was almost always in season. Besides, the girls could do with some fresh air.

Running late after having tended to the flowers that morning, Adaline was currently rushing down the stairs, skirts flapping around her legs while she pulled her warmest coat on before hurriedly wrapping a soft scarf around her neck. A few servants had to step out of her way when she passed by, huffing in annoyance as she called back in apology. It wasn’t particularly lady-like behaviour, but she was simply too thrilled to finally get to spend a whole day outside to care. Laughing some, she finally caught up with Miss. Patel and Miss. Perkins, her cheeks flushed and her breath coming fast. It made her feel alive.

“There you are,” Priya smiled at her. As always she looked lovely, wearing a thick maroon outer coat with a brown fur trim and matching hand muff. It also made it perfectly clear she didn’t plan on picking any apples herself, but was happy to accompany them and simply observe. “We were afraid we had lost you to your flowers, Ada. Again.”

“I would not miss this, you know that,” Adaline chuckled, still catching her breath as she pulled her warmest gloves on. A fresh breeze was coming from the north-east, which had driven away the rains but also brought with it a certain chill in the air. “Besides, I would very much consider apples as closely related to my interests. After all they start as the most beautiful flowers, and the Linnaean system classifies them as being very similar to roses. If you read _Philosophia Botanica_ then you should find that—”

“I will take your word for it,” Priya interrupted, probably knowing that if she didn’t that Adaline could go on for ages about the different ways of grouping and naming flowers following binomial nomenclature. “But at the moment I would much rather like to point out how absolutely and wonderfully refined Mr. Alexander is looking today, would you not agree? Or would you classify him differently?”

“Huh?” Adaline blinked, her mind had been focused on the biology of apple flowers and so it took her a moment to fully absorb what Priya had said. Looking around - past the ladies chatting eagerly amongst themselves, and the youngest girls who were giggling while kicking the leaves along the path - it was easy enough to spot the tall, handsome librarian. Wearing a dark green coat and a scarf, he looked perfectly put together while simultaneously being very well dressed for an afternoon spent outdoors.

“I am so happy Miss. Trujillo hired him,” Hannah sighed wistfully, one arm linked with Priya’s as they walked along together. “I do find he has added a certain, well, charm to this place. His conversation is always so pleasant as well, and bears such clear evidence of his good breeding.”

“If you keep talking like that I might start to believe you wish to breed with our poor new colleague yourself, Hannah,” Priya raised an eyebrow and the corners of her mouth twitched upwards in amusement. The arts teachers did have a knack for teasing a reaction out of Hannah, despite her best attempts at always remaining prim and proper.

“Priya!” Hannah squealed, her whole face instantly turning bright pink and causing Priya to burst out laughing. Adaline smiled and laughed along as well, feeling her own cheeks grow hot at the scandalous notion, but she had by now become quite used to Miss. Patel seemingly having no limits to what she dared say out loud. Especially when discussing gentlemen amongst close friends.

Hearing the outburst of laughter, Noah had turned and easily spotted the three young teachers, giving them a polite nod and wave. Adaline’s eyes were still resting on him, and she smiled widely without thinking, feeling her heart flutter in her chest before she even realised what she was doing. The expression on Noah’s face softened in response and he smiled back, his eyes holding her gaze until she looked away. It couldn’t have been more than a few seconds, but it still left her reeling.

 _What is he doing to me?_ Ada kept her expression neutral as she tried to follow what Hannah and Priya were saying next, but her mind was racing. She did not like the direction her sensibilities were taking her, but how much longer would she be able to fight her own feelings? _Am I even ready to acknowledge the existence of those emotions yet? No. I cannot give in to this. It’s just an unwanted distraction. This too shall pass. It must._ But why did he have to be so beautiful? With that warm smile and kind eyes, and how said eyes always seemed to seek her out. Rest on her. Taking her in...

“Looks like it has been a good year,” Marisol had walked up besides them right when they reached the orchard, nodding approvingly as she took in the heavily laden fruit trees, and Adaline barely avoided crying out in surprise. “I was worried the rain may have ruined the harvest this year, but it seems like you were correct, Miss. Chalcraft, well done.”

“Thank you, Miss. Trujillo,” she replied, trying not to show too much how she appreciated the praise. The headmistress had expressed concern a few days back, worried they would have to cancel the yearly apple picking, but Adaline had assured her the spring and summer they’d had would very much make up for a few weeks of rain. Coming from Marisol though, anything that could be considered a compliment was rare indeed.

Walking in between the trees, Ada smiled to herself while watching the students laugh and eagerly collect the ripe apples into their baskets. A ball of fur rushed past her, barking as it chased after a squirred. Of course Miss. Edwards had brought along Mopsie the pug. Not long after, she easily spotted the quartet, although she really had _heard_ them before seeing them - Chelsea’s voice carried almost too well.

“Eww, get it away from me!” Chelsea was shrieking while shying away from Lottie, who was teasingly threatening to throw a rotten apple on her pristine dress. Meanwhile, Jo was… Was she _climbing_ the tree? In her dress? Shaking her head in amusement, Adaline simply walked on by and smiled to herself upon hearing Miss. Elladine Sarabi cry out in horror behind her.

“Miss. Evans! Get down from there this instant! What on earth are you doing? Imagine if someone saw you up there. Marlbridge Academy is much too close, and they are known to ride by our orchards, they might see you! What will the gentlemen think? Worse, what would your _parents_ say, and, oh dear, Mr. Alexander is watching you! What if you fall... You might get hurt! Oh you girls will be the death of me some day. My poor nerves…”

“But the best apples are up high, Miss. Sarabi.” She heard Shannon try to explain. “And I merely suggested that Miss. Evans could try and reach them for us...”

Ada struggled not to laugh at that. Of course it was Miss. Cullen who’d talked poor Jo into such a stunt. Who else? Shannon was a master at getting others into trouble. Still listening to the spectacle that unfolded behind her, she joined a couple of other students, assisting them and using the opportunity to explain the lifecycle of fruits and trees.

Yet, her eyes kept drifting over to where Noah was happily helping the youngest girls, the sound of his deep, heartfelt laugh drawing her attention. It was such a lovely sound, making her forget the cold as it filled her with warmth from the inside. He was using his height to great advantage it seemed, and Adaline smiled at seeing him lean down to pick up one of the smallest girls, making her giggle gleefully as he allowed her to sit on his shoulders. Watching, she realised she hadn’t previously taken note of how he behaved around the students, particularly the children. He seemed to be completely content and relaxed like this; smiling and endlessly patient, and like he was genuinely enjoying himself. And a piece of her utterly melted at the sight.

Baskets filled with sweet and ripe apples, it was almost dark outside by the time they returned to Rosehill, and everyone welcomed the warm supper that awaited them: a hearty stew that could draw the cold from one's bones.

Revived after the meal, the teachers gathered in their private parlour upon suggestion from Marisol - the headmistress seemed to be in an almost uncannily good mood these last couple of days. Not that anyone was complaining, especially not when she turned up to join them carrying a large bottle of fine brandy.

“Brandy?” Pirya raised her eyebrows in amazement while looking down at the crystal glass in her hands. Marisol had served them all herself, which was also strange. “I do not know what has cheered our dear headmistress up so, but it makes for a nice change. I was not even aware we had brandy on the premises…”

“Me neither, but it is a pleasant surprise,” Adaline chuckled, happily sipping the liquor. This would really warm her up. “Although I believe it might have been quite distracting if we all knew Miss. Trujillo was hiding such treats in her rooms.”

“While I appreciate the gesture, it is not quite sweet enough for me. I prefer ratafia,” Hannah sighed, her lips pursed. “But I believe that might be too much to ask for.”

“You could always ask Mr. Alexander for some scotch, it looks like he brought his own bottle, although I doubt you would enjoy that much either.” Ada had of course noticed that Noah had joined them, how could she not? Having changed from his afternoon outfit and into a simpler evening look, he seemed relaxed as he laughed softly at something Marisol said, all while pouring himself a drink from an expensive looking bottle of Scotch whisky.

“Oh, he is such a _man_ ,” Hannah mumbled, and forgetting herself for a moment she drank from her glass, making her instantly scrunch up her nose in distaste.

“You only just noticed that?” Adaline teased, nudging her gently and making Priya snort with laughter. Miss. Perkins however simply rolled her eyes, but even she was smiling, before excusing herself to try and locate something a bit more to her taste to drink.

“Now, how about a little parlour game, ladies? Oh, and gentleman,” Miss. Anna-Julia Jones exclaimed from where she stood, clapping her hands sharply to draw everyone’s attention. Excitement was written on her face, and Adaline automatically tried to shrink back and make herself smaller. Parlour games had never quite been her forte. For once she found herself envying Yasmin, who was happily sat by the pianoforte and providing them with music for the evening, and that despite the fact that Ada herself didn’t play particularly well.

“Oh, yes!” Priya on the other hand was not hesitant in the least, her smile widening. “I suggest The Toilette, but on the condition that I may start as the Lady!”

“As long as it is not Hot Cockles, my nerves cannot stand that game.”

“What about Buffy Gruffy?”

“But we played that last time!”

Silently stepping back from the other women, Adaline just listened to their excited chatter and soon found herself joining an equally apprehensive Noah. Judging by the look on his face, and how he nervously ran his thumb along his bottom lip, he was as fond of large group-games as she was. _There is an opportunity here_ , she thought and offered him a pleasant smile as he glanced over at her.

“Do you play chess, Mr. Alexander?” At that, his expression changed, with relief softened his brow, and he gifted her with a genuine and grateful smile. It was enough to make her stomach lurch.

“I do indeed, Miss. Chalcraft,” he nodded and took a sip of scotch before he turned to fully face her, nearly eager as he seized the chance. “Would you like to play? Assuming you also enjoy chess, of course…”

“It would be a pleasure,” her own smile widened, equally relieved as this meant she had an excuse to not partake in what she assumed would be increasingly drunken games with the ladies. Priya was also renowned for her _creative_ forfeits that usually caused a great deal of embarrassment for the poor victim. This also meant she would get to spend some more time with Noah, which was just a coincidence of course.

Getting seated by the parlour room’s chess board - old and beautifully carved - Noah deftly started putting the pieces in place, and Ada found herself admiring his hands. Large and masculine, but with long graceful fingers. His dark skin seemed so soft that for a brief second she almost wished to reach out and touch him… Horrified at her own rebellious mind, she instead quickly reached over and grabbed her glass of brandy, taking a generous gulp of the strong liquid. _Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all._

“I insist the lady start, if you do not mind.” Looking up once done setting the board, Noah happily leaned back in his comfortable chair. To their left, it sounded like the other women had started a game of The Toilette, and to Ada’s relief none of them appeared to have minded or taken much note of the two of them choosing not to partake.

“Very well,” Adaline said and considered for a mere instant before moving her first pawn, gaze fluttering upwards to study him again as the game began. “So, how are you finding your life here at Rosehill House thus far?”

“I honestly am enjoying my job here quite well. The students are sweet, polite and seem eager to learn.” Settling on an opening quickly, the game soon slowed, and Noah absentmindedly scratched his chin before looking up at her. His brown eyes as always seemed to fix so intently on her, slowly dragging her down into their depths. “I noted how you used the day to teach some of them about our fruit trees, and they seemed quite captivated by you, which I can understand of course. You _are_ captivating.” Adaline raised an eyebrow at that, making him stutter. “Oh, I mean, uhm, the way you teach. It is very, well, eh… captivating.”

“Why, thank you, Mr. Alexander.“ Giving him a teasing look over the brim of her glass, her soft lips formed into a small smile and his eyes widened ever so slightly, making him falter in his next move. Was he flirting with her? “So you were watching me then?”

“Listened, more like it,” he mumbled, running a hand through his hair and taking a deep breath. “I was nearby helping the children picking apples, and could not help but overhear you. Apologies if that thought makes you uncomfortable, Miss. Chalcraft.”

“Not at all,” she softened her tone, a hint of surprise sneaking it’s way onto her face. He was actually genuinely embarrassed. Perhaps he had truly just misspoken and didn’t intend for it to sound as forward as it had. But why did that thought bother her? “You handled the youngest girls remarkably well - they are quite the handful - leaving us all thoroughly impressed. May I assume you might have a younger sibling?” Moving the conversation along again, not wishing to push him further, his shoulders visibly lowered and he smiled again.

“Two, actually,” he said, moving his castle before picking up his drink, twirling the golden liquid thoughtfully. “My brother is a mere handful of years younger than me, but I am senior to my sister by over a decade. While she is a refined young lady herself now, almost ready for her first season, she would follow me around all the time as a child. Not that I minded in the least, in fact I almost miss it. We went on some great adventures together.”

“Adventures?” She enquired curiously, and noted how his voice filled with something akin to nostalgic fondness as he spoke.

“Oh yes, we have ventured far together,” he chuckled, “to the edge of the world and back again I will have you know, exploring countless exotic and mysterious places along the way. With her as the Captain of the Floater Fleet of course, I was her mere servant; a _very_ honourable position. Together we have found many a treasure and fought off some significant threats. Once, I defended the Captain from a particularly vicious squirrel - an achievement she commended me greatly for. I even got an imaginary medal.”

“I see,” Adaline did her best not to laugh out loud and he grinned at her, a rare gleam in his eyes. “So truly I am in the company of a hero then? I am honoured. I used to be similar when I was a child, imagining the most incredible things while playing in our gardens. I just wish my older brother would have taken me on such glorious adventures, my younger self would have loved it.”

“One never grows too old for adventures,” he replied softly, and something in the way he spoke made her look up after making her next move, and her teasing reply got stuck in her throat. There was a gentle thoughtfulness there, both to his words the way he regarded her, eyes dancing across her face as though he was searching for something. Someone. “I think my sister would like you, Miss. Chalcraft, she has always had a kind heart and independent spirit. Not unlike you.”

“She sounds like a wonderful lady.” Adaline found herself looking down at her by now empty glass, thoughts swirling in her mind like a whirlpool of emotion. 

“Like I said: not unlike you.” Noah spoke slowly, and she could feel his eyes on her as he reached out and moved his rook, hand lingering there as time seemed to slow and all sound faded to until only the deafening beat of her own heart fluttering in her chest remained. Why was the room suddenly so warm? 

“Check mate.”

Startled back to the present, she focused once more on the board, and her jaw dropped. He had beaten her. It had been so long since someone at Rosehill House had defeated her at chess - her grandfather having taught her well - that it didn’t quite sink in at once. Slowly, she collected herself, clenching her jaw a little before she met his eyes and held it while she laid down her king in defeat.

“Well played,” she acknowledged, studying the board and finally noticing the mistake she’d made. _How did I miss that?_ She could feel the crease form between her brows, but she wasn’t annoyed. On the contrary, she was impressed.

“Thank you, you are quite the opponent,” Noah let out a long breath and smiled. “Now, may I refill your drink?”

“Yes please,” she muttered, nodding slowly and staring after him as he got up, taking her glass with him. For every little thing she learnt about him, she wanted to know more, wanted to _understand_ him. He had intrigued her. Noah, however, didn’t get far before he got caught up in the game the other teachers were playing, with Priya eagerly grabbing hold of his arm and making the others giggle.

“Oh, leave poor Mr. Alexander out of this,” Miss. Sarabi chided, but she sounded much too excited to truly mean it, and her cheeks had grown red from drink.

“No, he has managed to avoid our game for far too long,” Miss. Patel raised a finger and grinned at Noah. “So, Mr. Alexander, seeing as you have now stepped into my domain after so rudely having ignored us for most of the evening, I now demand a forfeit.”

“A forfeit?” Noah hesitated, glancing over towards Adaline, but she just shrugged in response. Smiling in amusement, she knew there was no saving him now and so did he evidently, as he merely sighed in resignation. “Very well, what do you wish me to do?”

“Hmm, what do we think, ladies?” Priya was enjoying herself far too much. “What forfeit do we ask from our dear librarian?”

“Make him sing!” Hannah cried out, her words a little slurred and Adaline glanced at the glass the redhead was holding, wondering what she’d manage to get her hands on. No matter what it was, it appeared to be strong.

“Yes, sing us a song.” Nodding in agreement, they were all quick to push him over towards the pianoforte, where Yasmin had temporarily paused her playing to watch the spectacle unfold. Adaline got up to join them as well now, and gave Noah an encouraging nod when he nervously shifted his weight from one leg to another, glancing over in her direction. While she felt sorry for him, she wanted to hear him sing now, wondering if his voice was as wonderful when he sang as when he spoke.

It was.

After briefly discussing with Miss. Douglas, the music teacher nodding approvingly at his choice, he cleared his throat while the music resumed before parting his lips and starting singing. The room stilled completely, all talking coming to a stop and being replaced with silent amazement. _Beautiful_. That was the only way to describe his voice, deep and resonant, he sounded nearly confident as he sang along to the soft tune - a story of a man at war, longing to return to a woman dear to him. It was a simple, but effective message, and had Hannah clasping her hands to her chest, eyes watering.

When the song came to an end, the room stayed quiet while the remaining echoes of the song slowly faded away, with Noah’s cheeks seeming to grow hot as he offered them a shy smile before he glanced towards _her_ again. Adaline’s eyes met his, and they held each other there, a small moment shared between just the two of them before it was broken by someone finally breaking the silence with loud exclamations of praise. Ada didn’t quite catch who, and she didn’t much care, instead she retreated back to her chair by the chessboard, sinking into its welcoming comfort. _You like him,_ a voice at the back of her mind whispered, and she closed her eyes. _Yes. But I don’t want to._

Sleep did not come easy that night, and she tossed and turned long after Priya had fallen asleep in the bed next to hers. Eventually giving up, she stared up at the dark ceiling, thinking. Whatever had happened tonight. Whatever feelings she thought she had felt. It was just the drink that had confused her, weakening her mind and messing with her feelings. It had to be that, hadn’t it? The other option was much too terrifying. But then why did it make her feel so _happy_? 

Groaning, she grabbed her pillow and placed it over her face in frustration, desperately trying to will these uninvited and uncontrollable feelings away. Lock them up somewhere where they couldn’t distract her. Instead, the sound of squeaking floors made her remove the pillow from her face, ears perking up as she waited. Sure enough, there it was again, the unmistakable sound of someone stepping on the wooden floors, making her glance over towards the door.

Was someone up at this hour? Sometimes the floors made sounds on their own accord, it was an old building after all, but this was different. As she listened, it became increasingly clear that it was footsteps. Light and careful, someone was walking down the hallway, and trying to hide that they were doing so.

Curious, she got out of bed, doing her best to remain quiet so as to not wake Priya while stepping up to the door. Slowly opening it, the door creaked softly and Adaline’s heart skipped a beat. What if it was an intruder? Taking a deep, nervous breath, she leaned out and glanced down the hallway. It was so dark she could barely see a thing, but even so it still felt like she could sense the portraits hanging on the walls staring at her with their dead, painted eyes.

“Hello?” Trying to keep her voice to a whisper, she called out, certain she saw a dark figure move at the end of the corridor. No sound came in return though, and the building felt eerily quiet, only the sound of her own breathing disrupting the night.

“What are you doing?” The sound of a groggy voice made her jump and turn, closing the door behind her and hurrying over to her own bed, suddenly feeling cold to the bone.

“Apologies, Priya, I just thought I heard someone.” Chilled, she wrapped the warm blankets around herself, eyes still fixed on the door as if expecting someone to enter their chamber.

“A ghost?” Priya said while yawning, sounding almost amused. “I did not think you believed in such, Ada. It was probably just the wind, or your imagination. You should get some sleep, or you are too nervous about the visit next week?”

“What visit?” Having closed her eyes, Adaline tried to allow sleep to come, forcefully accepting that it had only been her mind playing tricks on her.

“Hannah did not tell you? Young Mr. McKenzie is coming to visit us next week, on behalf of his father who has fallen ill. I think that was what Hannah said at least. You have no reason to worry, dear Ada, he will be here as a benefactor, nothing else.”

“Yes, of course, that must be it,” she mumbled, feeling a hard knot form in the pit of her stomach. Robert was coming to Rosehill? How had she missed that? Someone from the McKenzie family came each year, that wasn’t new, and yet.

Hearing Priya roll over and fall back asleep, Adaline once and for all knew she would not sleep that night. One thing was hallway ghosts and the way Noah kept distracting her, but now she also had to contend with knowing she would see Bobby again; her childhood friend and her once betrothed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for taking a couple of weeks to update this, but hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading this fic! In the next chapter we finally get to meet a certain Mr Robert McKenzie...


	6. Chapter 6

“No, I am not nervous, why should I be? Yes, we were once engaged to be married, and yes I was the one to break off said engagement, and yes we have not spoken since, but I am sure I have nothing whatsoever to be nervous about. Mr. McKenzie is here on a strictly professional errand as a benefactor to the school, and will probably ignore me for the duration of it.” Adaline was lying through her teeth, struggling to control her own breathing as her usually so comfortable corset suddenly felt like it was slowly constricting around her chest, but she wouldn’t let her emotions show. She couldn’t.

“Of course,” Priya said while walking along on her left, and only barely managing to avoid rolling her eyes. “So then why did you try to use marking the students’ homework as an excuse to not leave our rooms all day?”

“I have a lot of work to do, Priya, I–”

“And then why, once you _finally_ agreed to come down to greet Mr. McKenzie as, I may add, is expected of us all, did you spend what felt like a small eternity on choosing what to wear?” With a teasing smile resting on her face, Priya simply raised a delicate eyebrow at her, and Adaline sighed in defeat.

“Perhaps I am a little apprehensive. A smidge,” she muttered, hurryingly walking down the imperial staircase leading down to the entrance hall - best to get this over with quickly now that she had committed to it. On her right, Hannah giggled softly and gave her an amused smile.

“A smidge? You have not been able to stop fidgeting with your skirts ever since we dragged you away from your work, dear Ada, it is quite unbecoming.” Reaching over, Hannah gently grabbed one of her hands and Adaline felt her face grow hot as she looked down at the place where her delicate skirts were by now rather crumpled. She hadn’t even noticed doing so.

“Very well, you two: Yes, I am mortified at the idea of seeing him again. There, is that better?” Her stomach was churning and she felt like a trapped animal where she stood; anxiously looking around the hall where the staff and students were gathered. Compared to when Mr. Alexander had arrived, it was rather cramped. And loud.

“Perhaps he still loves you?” Hannah whispered, a wide smile on her face. Ever the romantic, Miss. Perkins was, but Adaline just gave her a bleak smile and shake of the head in return. She knew Robert well, and he was sweet to the core. But he had been so _hurt_ when she’d ended their betrothal, that even though three years had passed she wasn’t sure how he would react to seeing her again. _And what if he does still love me?_

“I would be surprised if he can stand the sight of me,” Adaline said and chewed a bit on her bottom lip. Searching within herself, she sought the source of her unease. _Surely I don’t still have feelings for my dear childhood friend?_ Glancing around the room, her eyes quickly fell upon Noah, who was standing next to Miss. Sarabi and was politely nodding along to whatever she was rambling on about. Sensing her eyes on him, he looked up and his face seemed to light up when finding hers, a small smile toying at the corners of his mouth. It made her heart flutter excitedly in her chest, and she smiled in return, relaxing under his comforting gaze. Noah must have sensed her nervousness however, as a small questioning frown formed between his brows and he tilted his head at her.

Adaline almost invisibly shook her head, she could talk with him later but right now the hallway was being filled with the loud and clear voice of Miss. Trujillo. It was time. _No_ , she thought before turning her face away from Noah, _it is not Bobby I need to be concerned about when it comes to the matters of the heart. That threat to my soul, my sensitivities, my whole being, is coming from somewhere much closer to home. I just wish I didn’t long to embrace it so._

Lining up, Adaline did her best to remain calm when, at long last, Mr. Robert McKenzie made his entrance. With a characteristic bounce in his step, he had taken his hat off to expose his short dreadlocks - a mark of pride for the young man. While Scottish, his family lived on a grand estate in Bath, and it was even rumoured they were the wealthiest family in the county. Growing up, her own family home had been their nearest neighbours, and while her station was well below his she had never cared for such things as a child. Instead, whenever her grandfather had been busy or away on travels, she had snuck over and spent countless days with the McKenzies. And they had welcomed her with open arms.

Looking at him now, he was exactly as Ada remembered him; just a few inches taller than her, with golden brown skin splattered with freckles and eyes of a remarkable shade of hazel. Once, she had loved this man. How much easier things had been if she had just accepted those feelings and her place in the world.

“Welcome to Rosehill House, Mr. McKenzie, it is a pleasure to have you here and we hope you will–” Marisol started, but was interrupted by Bobby who was absentmindedly looking around the grand room, a few attendants fluttering about him.

“Aye, Miss. Trujillo, I am sure I will.” Snapping back to the moment, he reached out and grabbed her hand, shaking it eagerly and making the short headmistress stutter in surprise. A ripple of giggles spread around the hall at the unconventional greeting, even Adaline found herself smiling. With a goofy grin, he winked at the oldest students and caused another outburst of loud giggles, before he quickly sought out Ada amongst the teachers. For an instant, his smile seemed to falter, but no one seemed to notice. No one but her. 

Ignoring the others, he made a beeline towards her, and old feelings long buried emerged once more. They were like soft whispers in her mind, tugging at her heartstrings and trying to make her remember how _easy_ it could be. To just embrace what had once been; when they had been young and in love. Before she’d realised what she would have to sacrifice for that love.

“Miss. Chalcraft!” The grin was back, and reaching out he placed both his hands on her upper arms before leaning in to kiss both her cheeks. The familiarity of it almost made her flinch. This was not at all what she’d expected.

“Mr. McKenzie,” she said, composing herself and smiling back at him. His hands still lingered on her, and as always a few rings adorned his knuckles, with one carrying the McKenzie clan crest. He always wore that one.

“It is good to see you again, it has been too long.” The last part was almost a whisper, and the look in his eyes changed as he searched her face. The intensity of it was enough to make her look away, only to find that Mr. Alexander was staring at them, jaws clenched and with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Mr. McKenzie,” Marisol had finally caught up, her cheeks flushed. “If you would not mind, I have had some tea prepared for us in the grand parlour, you must be tired after travelling all morning.”

“Oh, of course,” Bobby said and only then stepped back from Adaline, a sheepish look on his face. “Bath is not too far, but aye, tea would be grand. Then I was hoping I may ask Miss. Chalcraft to show me around the grounds? If I am not mistaken she is your botany teacher and knows them well, better than most at least. With your permission of course, Miss. Trujillo.”

“Very well,” Marisol pursed her lips, and gave Ada a hard look over the rim of her glasses. It practically screamed _do not mess this up_. “Miss. Chalcraft will give you a tour of the grounds after I have shown you the school itself.”

“Splendid!” Bobby grinned and gave Adaline a small nod before allowing himself to be guided away with Marisol, happily listening as she started her rehearsed presentation and the others in the hall started to disperse.

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding, it took a while before Adaline noticed that Priya was talking to her. Blinking, she turned to face her friend, who was giving her a crooked smile. “Cannot stand the sight of you, you said? He seemed positively ecstatic to see you.”

“And you will go on a walk later! How wonderful, Ada,” Hannah beamed. “Perhaps you can salvage this and get your happy ending after all? Oh, but surely you will need a chaperone? It would be improper to go promenading with a bachelor unsupervised. I will ask Miss. Sarabi or Miss. Douglas to keep an eye on you.”  
  
With that, she was off, leaving Adaline with her mouth partially open in a ready protest, but with the words left unspoken. _What if I don’t want to salvage things? And does she not realise that life does not end with marriage? It is merely the final blow to whatever small liberties a woman has in her life. A cage. No better than a prison of the senses._

Those thoughts were as always left unspoken, and Adaline spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon with her flowers in the conservatory, carefully tending to them and taking notes. It was a Saturday in early November, but the plants still required her attention despite the season. They were also a great distraction, and that was exactly what she needed. Until Marisol showed up to let her know Mr. McKenzie was ready for his tour, that was.

Wearing her best winter outfit: a dark blue ensemble with a silver fox trim, matching her hand muff and the trim of her winter bonnet, she joined Mr. McKenzie outside. He stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against a pillar and did not exactly look like the young heir of a wealthy Scottish Earl. But it was something she’d always appreciated about him, there was never any pretence or deception in his bearing - what you saw was what you got.

He straightened upon seeing her though, and offered her his arm with a grin. “There she is! The bonnie lass of Rosehill House, and I get to have her all to myself.”

“Not quite,” Adaline chuckled and accepted his arm before stuffing her hand back into the hand muff, she did not intend to lose any fingers to the biting cold. “I believe at least half the school will be watching from the windows, and the latter half will wish the view wasn’t blocked by the former.” At least she had managed to avoid a chaperone.

“Something like that,” Bobby chuckled and guided her down the steps before allowing her to take the lead. She knew he was using this walk as an excuse to talk with her, and not a very smooth excuse at that, but she would go along with it. “So you like it here then? It is not too boring for you?”

“Not at all. Truth be told, I have more freedom here than I expected. Both when it comes to teaching and in pursuing my own interests it is probably the closest I could have ever come to doing actual scientific work. It will never be good enough for the Royal Society of course, but my sex barred my entry into such company from the moment I was born,” she sighed before glancing over at Bobby. He was grinning at her.

“You really have not changed, lass,” he said, sounding almost a bit sad, with his lips forming into a small pout, but there was still a gleam of hope in his eyes. “So you are happy here then?”

“Yes,” she said, not meaning to sound quite as firm but she didn’t want to come across as hesitant. She couldn’t allow herself to give him any ideas, it would only cause further harm. “I- I am sorry… Bobby.”

The sound of his nickname made him straighten in surprise. Staring at her, eyes wide and seemingly stunned into silence until she gave him a little nudge. Ada couldn’t help but smile warmly at him as he shook his head, the goofy smile once more returning to his handsome face. “Christ,” he laughed, “sometimes I forget this beautiful lady by my side used to wipe her snot on her sleeves and wade into mud while searching for special plants, insects and all sorts of other unladylike things.”

“Back when you found me an absolute nuisance, I believe. I recall me trying to chase after you in my skirts because I wanted to climb trees and play pirates and whatnot.” A small laugh escaped her at that, and a far off look settled on her face. It seemed so long ago now. “Although I also seem to remember how you would have rather spent your days in the kitchen, helping the staff and horrifying your mother whenever you managed to get yourself covered in flour. You always gave in in the end though, when I snuck over to the estate begging you to join me outside.”

“How could I not?” She could nearly feel the tenderness in his eyes as he looked at her. “You are one of a kind, Adaline.”

Closing her eyes, Ada drew in a long, slow breath, allowing the cold air to fill her lungs. She had forgotten how sweet he was when they were alone, and how beautiful her name sounded when he spoke it. It was dangerous, and she had to force forth the memories of the end, when the realities of marrying him had hit her like a brick wall. “Robert, it could never have been us.”

“You have not changed your mind then?” Staring off into the distance, his breath forming into puffs of mist in the air, she knew this was still a sore topic for him. Mr. McKenzie had always been more sensitive than he let on, but she knew, and she had to be strong. Again.

“No.” She kept it simple, and truthful. “The sacrifices I would have to make, they have not changed, and you know that. I would have to be the dutiful wife of the McKenzie heir, and society would expect me to act and look the part. It would be a snare for my soul, making me into a machine of propriety and convention. Marrying you would kill the part of me you proclaim to love.”

“You know I would expect nothing of you, Adaline,” he said softly, trying so desperately to argue, but she’d heard it all before.

“I know,” she said, looking over at him as they slowed, until they were standing on the path between some trees. Around them, the world was eerily quiet. “But the society we live in is not as forgiving.”

“You know I would care for you, protect you, I–”

“I do not wish to be cared for, nor protected.” A hint of frustration had snuck its way into her voice as she interrupted him, now fully facing each other. “You should know that, or you do not know me at all. _I_ care for myself. The more solitary, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”

Mr. McKenzie quieted at that, his expression still soft, but in the depths of his eyes lingered a sympathetic sadness and she knew he was trying to understand. “Did you ever love me, Adaline?”

Now it was her turn to hesitate, her eyes dancing across his face, taking in his familiar features. He was handsome, and so utterly kind, and countless women would have done anything to receive his affection and attention. Searching within herself however, trying to find the feelings she’d once held for him - any hint of _passion_ \- it was instead the image of a quiet, gentle librarian that filled her mind.

“I have always loved you, Robert. Once, I loved you as only a woman can, yes, but now? I love you as a friend, and the brother I wish I had.”

Nodding, he gave her a small smile before very carefully stepping closer, pushing the bonnet off her head and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Very well. Thank you for being honest with me at least.”

“Of course,” she said softly, the touch of his lips to her skin had been light, but it left a heavy weight on her shoulders. It felt so painfully final. Love was not required for marriage - very far from it - but seeing the misery it had brought her mother she had sworn to never give in to the same false sense of security. If she were to be wed, she wanted it to be for her sake, and no one else's.

Again, Noah intruded upon her mind, and she could almost feel his warm gaze upon her, making her heart skip a beat in exhilaration and quickly turn to look back towards the school house. Maybe he was watching her right now? These feelings were unlike anything she’d felt before in their growing intensity, and although it made her uncomfortable she was increasingly starting to acknowledge their existence. At the moment she simply shoved them aside though, Bobby deserved her full attention this day, and she was most certainly not going to tell him about her developing weakness for the new librarian. It would make her sound like a walking cliché and hypocrite.

“Now,” Mr. McKenzie said, the characteristic cheerfulness back in his voice, and he smiled. “Let us not speak of such matters again today, I need to hear about how your family is doing. How rude of me not to ask about them first... Is your brother well? I have not seen him in too long, but last I heard he was in London courting a debutante. Aye, he was always optimistic that one. First thing first however.” With a mischievous grin, he reached out and ruffled her now exposed hair, making her squeal. “There, now you look more like yourself."

Robert McKenzie had never been good at maintaining expected levels of propriety for long, but she didn’t mind, it was something she had only recently mastered herself. Truth be told, it helped her relax. She usually did around him. Together, they spent the remainder of the daylight outside, strolling along in the gardens while reminiscing about the past and catching up with each other until things slowly started feeling right again.


	7. Chapter 7

Adaline had utterly lost track of time. Being allowed to spend the afternoon with an old friend completely distracted her, and by the time Mr. McKenzie and herself finally returned to the main building it was nearly dark outside. Only the rising of the full moon made them aware of the lateness of the hour; with their shadows slowly stretching into thin figurines that danced across the grounds around them, following the rhythm of the cold moonlight breaking through the thin cloud coverage. Yet, the two solitary figures were in no rush to leave this tranquil moment behind.

It was thus another short while before - with a small laugh at something she’d just said - Robert opened the doors for her and at last guided them back inside. Right to where an impatient headmistress was awaiting them.

Marisol’s eyes flickered towards the nearest timepiece before fixing Ada with a stern look, instantly succeeding in making her become acutely aware of the state of her hair and dress. She was most certainly not presentable, but it was too late to get changed now. _Besides_ , she thought, _Bobby is the guest of honour and he does not mind in the slightest when it comes to my appearances._

“I believe supper is nearly ready and waiting for you, Mr. McKenzie.” Keeping the displeasure out of her voice, Miss. Trujillo managed a pleasant smile, but Adaline nonetheless recognised the restless look in her eyes. “I hope you had a pleasant tour of the grounds?”

“It was grand, and Miss. Chalcraft was a wonderful guide. She even kept me from falling into the lake at one point. I was a bit too eager in my attempt to feed the ducks you see,” he said, and looking to his side offered her a crooked grin, which Ada readily returned. By now she was feeling much more at ease with his company, and she was happily keeping her arm around his while they walked towards the fine dining room together.

“I am glad to hear so, we were concerned we would have to send out a search party if you had remained outside for much longer,” Marisol said, seemingly more relaxed now that the two of them were back and she once more felt in control of the situation. “We shall dine with the other members of staff this evening. The students have already had their evening meal and been told to retire of course. I personally chose the menu for tonight, and I hope it will be satisfactory, Mr. McKenzie.” Supper that day would be a rare treat indeed by the sounds of it, with the finest space and cutlery prepared - all which was usually locked away and most certainly not available for the students. Excluding the students also made sense, as it wouldn’t do to have them disrupt the McKenzie heir’s meal, and would make for a lovely break for the teachers.

“Aye, as long as there is pudding you will not hear a word of complaint from me, Miss. Trujillo.” He'd always had a sweet tooth, Adaline recalled fondly, seemingly unable to reminisce about the past. The whole afternoon had served as a good reminder of what had been, and what now was, and how one had led to the other.

“Wonderful,” came Marisol’s simple reply, and with a small smile on her face she pushed her glasses up her nose before hurrying off to inform the servants that they would be ready to dine now. 

The smell of food was already deliciously filling the air, and Robert was nearly dragging Adaline along as they together walked in through the heavy double doors to take in the splendour of the grand room… Only to almost walk straight into a tall wall of solid muscle in the form of Mr. Noah Alexander. By her side, Mr. McKenzie froze in place and only seemed capable of staring up at the other man before straightening and slamming a wide smile back onto his face right when Noah turned to look at them.

Seemingly equally surprised, he looked from Adaline to the Scot and then back again, an indiscernible look on his face. Did she detect some worry there? With a startle, she realised she was still attached to her friend, and as quickly as polite propriety allowed her, she disentangled herself and took one small step away before smiling pleasantly at the two men.

“Mr. McKenzie, may I introduce you to Mr. Alexander, our new librarian?” She did her utmost to sound at ease, but watching the two men eyeing each other up made a small heat sneak its way up under her collar. Why did they remind her of two stags about to circle each other in a battle for dominance? “Mr. Alexander, this is The Honourable Robert McKenzie of Glasgow, a benefactor to the school and heir to the Earl of Bath.”

“Of course, the new librarian! You were all the talk in Bath for a while, Mr. Alexander, I got quite fed up with it myself,” Bobby chuckled, and Adaline gave him a cautionary look. A look that he _of course_ ignored. “Everyone seemed awfully curious about whether or not you would go on about seducing all the women here you see. All nonsense, I assured them, the women here are much too clever to fall for simple charms. Trust me, I have tried.”

“Really?” Noah raised his eyebrows in surprise at that – both at the statement and the bluntness of it - and his gaze flickered over to her for a moment before he smiled politely at Robert again. Internally, Ada let loose a flourish of colourful curses at her friend, he had clearly yet to master the art of subtlety and tact it seemed. _Oh and the state of my hair_ , she moaned to herself, _and my dress. The hem is covered in mud. What must Mr. Alexander think of me?_ Those thoughts only made her cheeks grow hotter, and biting her bottom lip she did her best to suppress the embarrassment. It was ridiculous, really.

“Aye,” Bobby confirmed with a nod, his own smile widening as he realised Noah didn’t know about his relationship to her, and evidently greatly enjoying himself at having the upper hand. “Oh, did you not know? I was lucky enough to once have been engaged to be married to Miss. Chalcraft here. She almost made me the happiest man in England!”

For a mere second, an expression as though someone had slapped him danced across Noah’s face, and he automatically looked at her with a look of stunned pain before recovering. Wide eyed, Ada desperately tried to read his face, but his feelings were once more locked away and buried deep down where no one could find them. “I see, well, uhm,” Noah stuttered before collecting himself, and the characteristic calm settled over his features once more. “I do deeply apologise if I caused any offence with my ignorance, I was not aware that you and Miss. Chalcraft had history together.”

“No need to apologise, my friend,” Robert winked at her as he playfully gave Noah’s upper arm a light pat. He clearly hadn’t even noticed Mr. Alexander’s and her discomfort at the situation, and she bravely mustered a smile. Unfortunately, he seemed to interpret that as encouragement. “I have known her since we were children you see, so growing fond of each other was unavoidable. Especially when she is such a wonderful young lass, would you not agree, Mr. Alexander?”

“Mr. McKenzie, I do believe the food is about to be served, we should get seated.” Adaline spoke in a rush of words as she felt the blood drain from her face, a near panic seizing her. And yet… Gazing up at Noah, she couldn’t help that a part of her dearly wished to know his answer. _I should not grant him this power over me_ , she thought even as her heart thudded in her chest _, to make me wish to be pleasing to him. But oh how sweet it would be if he would say he does indeed think of me so._

As if he could read her mind, Noah’s eyes fixed on her and the corners of his mouth seemed to automatically turn upwards, and she felt herself involuntarily hold her breath. “Of course,” he said softly, his words making her want to drown in his deep, golden eyes. “Who am I to disagree with such an obvious truth?”

Bobby’s jaw seemed to slacken at that, and Adaline felt his eyes on her as he studied her quietly. “Indeed,” the young Scot finally said, ever so slightly pouting and scratching his chin a bit, seeming almost deflated as he once more looked the handsome librarian over. “I believe food has been mentioned more than once now, however, with me about to starve to death. And I am not sure the world is ready for such a loss quite yet.” 

Noah chuckled at that and nodded, lowering his shoulders in a manner that clearly spoke of being happy to change topic and to finally get seated. “Shall we–”

“Oh, Mr. Alexander!” The shrill voice of Miss. Perkins interrupted whatever it was Mr. Alexander was about to say next, and made the three of them turn to see Hannah’s flushed face approaching them. “I do apologise for interrupting, I did not realise you were already engaged in conversation. But I would very much like to continue our discussion on Shakespear and his way of writing romance, and wondered if you would do me the honour of being my companion for the evening? I so desperately need your insight into the deeper sensibilities and feelings of Twelfth Night.”

“Ah, uhm, I see,” Noah said slowly, looking with what seemed like longing towards Adaline and even Mr. McKenzie before sighing quietly, smiling pleasantly at the literature teacher. “Of course, I would be honoured to be your conversation companion tonight, Miss. Perkins. My insights into Twelfth Night, I am afraid, will only disappoint you however. I have only truly studied how it may inform us on the perception of gender at the time, as the element of sexual ambiguity is something I find quite fascinating.”

“The, eh, sexual ambiguity?” Hannah stuttered and her cheeks turned a bright pink, but she nonetheless snuck her slim arm around Noah’s for him to guide her to the table. Which he obligingly did, he truly was a gentleman. A very patient one.

Listening to them as they walked away, Adaline smiled a little to herself, knowing that while Hannah was borderline obsessed with romance she drew a hard line at anything _physical_. Conversing about something regarding sexuality or the like was most likely to make the red head faint, despite her best attempts at keeping a straight face. Additionally, she was fairly certain Noah would have preferred to discuss slightly more contemporary literature, but any mention of Miss. Austen simply made Hannah huff in disapproval at how she would never match the _true_ classics.

Closing her eyes for a moment to stop herself from staring after the handsome librarian, she quietly wished her friend hadn’t whisked him away in this manner. Noah was always in high demand and she so rarely got to speak with him, and perhaps he and Robert would have gotten along? Knowing that it didn’t really matter was no help, because deep down she truly did want her best friend to approve of this man. This man she was so helplessly falling in love with.

Getting seated by Mr. McKenzie’s side, she laughed along as he basically kept their section of the table entertained all on his own for the duration of the meal - which was as lush as Marisol had promised. Never had Miss. Sarabi chuckled along to conversation so heartily, and several times she had to fan herself to cool down at the outrageous things that came out of Robert’s mouth. Even Miss. Douglas was laughing until she nearly cried. Ada meanwhile simply grinned, very much used to his shenanigans. 

On occasion, she found herself glancing over to where Noah sat, unable to help herself. He seemed to nod along to whatever Hannah was saying, his full lips curved into a soft smile that was both so comforting. _And tempting_. Almost without fail he looked over to meet her gaze, the intensity of his expression enveloping her as he picked up his wine glass, slowly taking a sip while he held her there. Captivated. And every time she quickly looked away before anyone could notice, feeling suddenly so very - _very_ \- warm and bothered.

It was almost a relief to her when the meal finally ended, the growing tension between her and Mr. Alexander was making her all too distracted, and she wasn’t even sure if it was just a piece of her imagination or not. Joining a few of the others back down in the main entry hall, she watched as Mr. McKenzie took his leave - having promised his father he would be back in Bath by morning. He was not particularly eager to say goodbye it seemed, as he made sure to leave more than of the other women giggling and blushing with a few choice words.

“Well, it was lovely seeing you again, Miss. Chalcraft,” he said softly as he put his hat back on his head after a servant had handed it over, although it seemed to rest rather precariously on top of his dreadlocks. The outside air rushed in as the large main doors were opened, sending a chill down Adaline’s spine. It truly was growing colder. At this rate they might even get a white Christmas.

“You too.” She gave him her warmest of smiles, and he grinned back at her. “I will miss you, I hope you know that?” It was true, she’d forgotten how accepting he’d always been of who she was, and it had been lovely to get to see him again. Despite having to tease open an old wound again, the pain had not been as bad as she’d feared.

“Hah, who would not miss me? I am a delight!” Just like that, and with a wink and a nod, he was gone in the night, while she was left looking after him. Even once the doors were shut and the others had left, she stood in the quiet, cold entry hall with her arms wrapped around herself. 

A sudden, hollow feeling of loneliness filled her, and the darkness of the corners of the large room seemed to grow denser; slowly spreading and swallowing the light from the flames of the candles that were fighting a losing battle. With a shudder, Adaline glanced about herself, imagining figures in the dark and almost feeling certain she could hear footsteps echoing through the old building. This place truly did come across as haunted at times.

Throwing one last look towards the now closed doors, she took a deep breath before quickly heading upstairs and to her chambers where she found Priya, who had already changed into her nightgown. Sitting on the bed while leisurely brushing her long hair, she gave Ada a curious glance. The sly smile and gleam in her eyes however told her exactly what it was Miss. Patel was thinking.

“Mr. McKenzie was quite happy to see you again, my dear friend,” she said slowly, delicately raising a teasing eyebrow. “You surely did spend an awful lot of time together. Just the two of you. Alone.”

“Well, he is a good friend of the family, anything else would have been considered rather odd,” Adaline said, doing her best to sound dismissive, but she knew there would be rumours for a while no matter what. Not that she could blame them, she would have thought exactly the same in their place. With a sigh, she started undressing, slowly removing layers of wool, muslin and lace.

“If you say so, but he is very handsome, even you must admit that?” Priya had gotten up to help with her corset, and Ada smiled in relief before looking in near horror at her reflection in the looking glass; her hair really was a mess. As Priya looked up, their eyes met and her friend's hands stopped their work for a moment while she silently regarded her - a thoughtful expression on her face. “Or is there perhaps another who’s caught your eye, Ada?”

Opening her mouth, her gut reaction was to instantly deny it, but to her surprise she found herself hesitating. Gaze lowered, she slowly realised it would be nice to share some true feelings with her friend, yet her own admission surprised her. “Perhaps.”

Smile widening, Priya finished removing the corset and gave her a gentle hug from behind. “Then I think you will be glad to know that Mr. Alexander got very _restless_ when you and Mr. McKenzie spent such an excessively long time outside. If it were not for Miss. Trujillo he most likely would have gone out searching for you himself. One could easily think he has grown quite fond of you.”

Feeling her cheeks grow hot, Ada quickly finished getting changed before retreating to her bed, eager for its warmth. “Do you really believe he is fond of me?” It was not her intention to sound so much like an eager young girl again, but she couldn’t help it. The thought of Noah _liking_ her just seemed too surreal.

“Of course!” Priya grinned and snuggled up under her own blankets, her beautiful features glowing in the golden candle light for a moment before she leaned over to extinguish it. “The way he looks at you speaks magnitudes, believe me;I know a longing glance when I spot one. Now try and get some sleep, dear.”

Of course, that was easier said than done, with Mr. Alexander so fully occupying her mind, intruding upon her thoughts as her mental guards were lowered in the hazy minutes before sleep. Soft brown skin, and full lips shaped into a sweet, knowing smile. The way his mysterious eyes regarded her with thinly veiled intimacy, making her feel truly seen. Features of such gentleness, and yet which still spoke of a masculinity that her body yearned to explore and experience. His mere presence sending a shiver through her core that was unlike anything she’d ever felt before, settling below her belly button and making her shiver in…

With a startle and a soft gasp, Adaline sat up in bed, heart racing in her chest. What had just happened? Had she been dreaming? But it had felt so real, her body seemingly having responded on its own accord, and her core was still throbbing in a way unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Pressing her hands to her head, she could feel how warm she was. _Is it a fever? Maybe I did spend too long outside with Bobby. Yet I don’t feel ill…_ And the image of Noah, so tantalisingly close, still haunted her. Even when she closed her eyes tightly, willing it gone. _Some water to cool down should do it._

Quiet as a mouse, she snuck out of bed and shuddered when her bare feet hit the cold floor, standing still for a moment to allow her eyes time to adjust to the dark. Carefully, she made her way over to their small dressing table, searching for the jug of water she was certain should be there somewhere. Her search was cut short however, as the sound of squeaking floorboards caught her attention, making her freeze in place.

Adaline listened intently as the silence of the night was broken by the sound of footsteps; soft and muffled but unmistakable. She’d heard it before. The creaking of the wood was growing quieter as whoever it was had passed by and was moving down the hallway beyond it, and she glanced over towards the door, her breath forming puffs of white mist in the chill night air.

Battling against her own curiosity, a frown between her brows, the sensible thing to do would be to go back to bed. Nothing good could possibly come out of following some ghost down in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, her inquisitive nature won out - it usually did - and she quickly grabbed a shawl to fling around herself before slowly stepping over to the door.

Hands pressed against the solid wood, she eased it open, praying for it to not wake Priya who was still soundly asleep in the room behind her. Luck was on her side though, and the door softly swung open, and with a breath of relief she stepped out into the corridor leading down along the teacher’s wing. There was no one there.

Swallowing hard, and feeling as if the judgemental eyes of the many portraits on the wall were following her every step, she walked in the same direction the footsteps had been heading. Even with her thick shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders, the cold was gnawing at her bones, digging its icy claws deep into her and swiftly replacing whatever heated feeling had been there before. But she would not turn back, not now. She needed to know whom it was who kept walking the corridors at night.

Reaching the end of the corridor, she turned right, heading deeper into the building itself. Adaline was not quite sure what guided her, other than a sense of dreadful foreboding pulling her along and refusing her to turn back now. As she got closer to the teacher parlour, a small streak of light was coming from inside, the door not having been completely shut. And from it, sounds. The sounds of hushed voices. A man and a woman.

Creeping closer, Adaline’s heart felt deafeningly loud to her ears, echoing through her whole body and the primal fear of being discovered was screaming for her to turn back. But there was also something else, because she recognised these voices, and had it not been under these circumstances she would’ve thought nothing of it, yet her heart dropped as she pressed her back against the wall and carefully inched forward to peak into the room.

A few candles had been lit, their flickering flames causing the little bit of light that had guided her here, and illuminating the two figures standing in the middle of the room. One tall, the other short. One man, and one woman. One with his arms around the other. Noah and Marisol.

_No._

Biting the inside of her mouth hard to keep herself quiet, she watched as Mr. Alexander held the headmistress close to his chest, strong arms hugging her tenderly as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. The words were too soft for Adaline to hear, but she didn’t need to. Didn’t want to. Seeing the way the man she was falling in love with was holding another was torture enough, and with a startle she felt a tear slowly making it’s way down her cheek. She was crying.

Angrily wiping her cheeks, she turned and rushed back to her chambers, heedless of the creaking floor boards beneath her feet and the soft sobs that escaped her. Behind her, she heard a door shut, but not before she was out of sight, lost in the dark. That night, she was the ghost of Rosehill House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was so nervous about this chapter, but hope you all enjoyed it. And as always, all comments are very much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of the door slamming shut behind her reverberated through the room, but Adaline barely noticed. Back pressed firmly against the hard wood, eyes staring dead ahead while her breath came fast and hard, she was doing her best to still her rapidly beating heart. But all that was on her mind was the image of Noah holding Marisol in his arms. It was burnt onto her cornea and unwilling to let go, forcing her to witness the scene again every time she closed her eyes no matter how firmly she willed it gone. Almost too fast for her to keep up with, her brain was already racing through all possible options for what this _meant_. Her logical side waging war on her emotions, for what had she really seen? What facts did she actually have to help compartmentalise and untangle this? None.

“What on earth is going on?” The sound of a gentle, female voice made her jump and blink a few times in an attempt at seeing in the dark. Thankfully, the full moon outside was throwing her long silvery reflections of sunlight in through the window, guiding her eye: Priya - who of course had woken up from the noise - was sitting up in bed while rubbing her eyes, the slow drowsiness of her voice only thinly veiling her clear annoyance at being awoken so abruptly. “Ada? Is everything alright? You look as though you have seen a ghost.”

“Oh, I apologise. I did not mean to startle you.” Shaking her head in a feeble attempt at making her mind stop its ramblings, she focused on her friend while placing two fingers against her temple, running them in soothing circles to calm herself. This was so silly, she knew, and yet. “I just, I heard some noises…”

“Again?” Miss. Patel seemed to be only vaguely more alert as a large jawn escaped her. “It is positively freezing and you decided to go on a wander around in the middle of the night? But now that I am awake, you have got me curious, so do tell what it is that has put you in such a state. And get under the covers, you are shaking like a leaf!”

Indeed, she was shivering from the cold, and she quickly shuffled over to the beds. Instead of getting into her own however, Adaline sat down by Priya’s side. “I saw Mr. Alexander, with Miss. Trujillo. They were alone, just the two of them in the parlour. He was, uhm, holding her and I– I am not sure what to think or believe.”

Priya frowned at that, and silently wrapped the blankets around her friend before speaking again. “Are you sure? That it wasn’t simply a trick of your imagination? Miss. Trujillo surely is a bit too old for our handsome librarian, unless he prefers middle aged spinsters of course…”

“Not helping, Priya,” Adaline sighed, but nonetheless welcomed the warmth as the two of them huddled up in one bed together - as had become the norm when one of them was upset. “And I have heard footsteps down the corridor at night before, meaning these meetings have taken place many a night and with the intent of being kept secret. They seemed so, so… It was so _tender_. And I know I have no right to be jealous, that he does not belong to me any more than I am his, but then why does it hurt so much?” Feeling tears well up in her eyes again, she clenched her jaw in an attempt at holding them back. Crying would do her no good.

“Because you are in love,” Miss. Patel was smiling at that, nearly chuckling at the oblivious expression on Ada’s face while still retaining a look of sympathy in her deep brown eyes. “Silly Adaline, you have been falling for Mr. Alexander ever since he first set foot on our grounds, and now you are worried he has his eyes set on someone else. Mayhaps you are not as cold and distant as you wish to be after all?”

“If this is what being in love is like I do not want it,” she groaned and buried her face in Priya’s pillow, which only made her friend laugh more and wrap her arms around her. “Is there a way to make these feelings go away?” _It was never like this with my dear Robert_ , she thought with an internal sigh, _although with him I never feared that his attentions were elsewhere. Oh curse the uncertainty of it all, it is all but killing me I swear._

“Afraid not,” Miss. Patel said, sounding not quite like a humorously condescending mother, but close enough that it made Ada grumble in mild annoyance. “And if you truly are concerned about these secretive meetings of his with our headmistress I suggest that you simply ask him. Granted, it is all very suspicious, and he is but a man - and they are prone to be great disappointments after all - but a gentle confrontation should clear the matter. If he for some reason is partaking in nightly trysts with Miss. Trujillo then I would dare say you are better off without him. But what a strange choice… of all the women at Rosehill… how quaint.”

“How on earth should I bring up such a topic without sounding like a nosy and desperate fool?” Adaline sighed, but Priya’s lightheartedness was already helping her relax again, making her feel more like her calm, usual self. What would she do without her?

“A matter for the morrow, right now I think we both should get some sleep,” Priya jawned again and was evidently ready to dismiss the topic for tonight. “Looking ghostly and with dark circles around your eyes will neither help endear nor seduce.”

“Seduce? I–”

But before she could protest such a scandalous suggestion, Priya had placed a slim finger against her lips and was grinning viciously like only she could. “Shh, sleep.” And that was all she said before closing her eyes and putting a firm end to any further argument or discussion. Rolling her eyes, Adaline still smiled a little before giving in and deciding on trying to get some more sleep herself - she sorely needed it.

Closing her eyes, the nearness of her friend and her steady breathing calmed her, but even while growing drowsy and slowly falling into the land of dreams the picture of Noah holding Marisol in his arms haunted her. 

It was a wonder she got any sleep at all that night.

Sunday, as always, began by having all the staff and students gathered together in the old school chapel for the weekly service. Outside, the weather had grown biting cold with a steady wind coming down from the north east, and the stone building with its high ceiling was not much warmer. The only thing - or rather, the only person - making them pay any attention whatsoever was the vicar. Mr. Jake Wilson was much too handsome for a person of the cloth, but none of the women ever complained about that fact, quite the opposite. In his early forties, his was the kind of face that made him look younger than his years, and he had the most lovely brown and slightly curled hair that all of them dreamed of running their hands through, all while pretending to pay attention to his steady flow of words on the sinful nature of mankind.

Unfortunately for the small hoard of infatuated women however, Mr. Wilson was a married man, and had never shown the slightest bit of interest in anything but polite conversation with anyone else of the fairer sex. Rather, he seemed to want to avoid the ladies as much as possible. His wife, Mrs. Talia Wilson, was dutifully sitting on the front row as per usual - the pinnacle of martial propriety. She herself worked in the kitchens at Rosehill, but she was about as sociable as her husband and usually retreated to their small cottage nearby rather than to linger with the other servants and staff after working hours. Despite this and despite (or perhaps because of) her being childless, more than one of the teachers greatly envied Mrs. Wilson.

“I do not see Mr. Alexander,” Adaline whispered to Priya, having just done a quick sweep of the premises. Sitting on one of the hard benches furthest toward the back, she had her shawl firmly wrapped around herself to try and retain some body heat while the vicar droned on. “Miss. Trujillo is here though.”

“Of course she is, she is the one who has to set an example for the students after all,” Priya muttered back, careful to still look forward so as to at least pretend to be paying attention. “I did overhear her earlier however, and apparently Mr. Alexander went into town this morning, to meet up with a friend. Mr. Chapman, I believe it was.”

“The Marlbridge teacher?” A harsh glance from a disapproving Elladine made her bite her lip to stop an escaping giggle, and she waited for a moment to ensure the older teacher wasn’t looking (and hopefully not listening) before daring to speak again. “I guessed they were acquainted after the Marlbridge ball, but I did not know they were close.”

“Neither did I.” Priya spoke so softly that she could barely hear her at all, and she had to lean a bit closer. “Something about them needing to talk about an important matter, but I did not quite catch what. He should be back by evening.”

“Why are we talking about Mr. Alexander?” It was almost a hiss, and Hannah’s head quickly poked out from where she was sat on Priya’s other side, shooting Adaline a curious glance. “Has something happened?”

Priya opened her mouth to reply, always keen on sharing the latest gossip, but Adaline nudged her with an elbow to stop her; once Miss. Perkins knew about what she’d seen, everyone would know. “Ah, nothing of true interest,” Priya replied slowly, clearly trying to think of a convincing cover. “Ada simply needs some help with, ah, work related matters.” _Not a complete lie_ , she thought, _but I doubt this will settle Hannah’s curiosity._

“I see,” Hannah looked at the two of them, her nose scrunched up and brow furrowed in a way that clearly spoke of suspicion and doubt, but for now she was placated.

Nodding and giving her an affirming smile, Adaline sat back again, rolling her shoulders in discomfort and she wondered not for the first time if the benches were made particularly uncomfortable on purpose as a way of keeping them awake. Regardless, it was working, but not even Mr. Wilson managed to make preaching more than mildly interesting, and Ada was getting restless. Slicing through the gathered people with a surveying glance once more, she saw that her small group was not the only one not paying attention to the service.

Sitting a few rows in front of them and to the left, she watched with a small smile as Miss. Edwards was barely keeping from drawing further attention while eagerly whispering something to a smirking Miss. Crawford. The black-clad girl seemed almost eager, nodding along to whatever it was Chelsea was saying. Meanwhile, Miss. Joanna Evans looked positively shocked at the conversation, whereas Shannon had her arms crossed, looking at the other three with a raised eyebrow and a mild shake of her head - if Miss. Cullen disapproved then Adaline was sure that whatever they were discussing had to be an exceptionally bad idea. For now though, she had her own troubles to deal with.

With it being too cold to go outside for the frail and dainty women, the day was even quieter than normal, with everyone having to keep themselves entertained inside - but quietly so. Miss. Sarabi would not accept anyone ruining the Sunday peace, insisting it was not becoming and that it’d most certainly do her poor nerves no good. All of this was not something that Adaline would’ve thought much of - she quite enjoyed the calm - if it weren’t for the fact that she was constantly thinking of how on earth she would go about confronting Noah later.

Desperate to keep her mind occupied, she quickly retreated to her sanctuary in the form of the greenhouse to busy herself with her flowers. Yet even that did not keep her for long, and the hours seemed to crawl by. When Mr. Alexander did not even show up for supper, her restlessness grew almost unbearable, and she retreated to her room in a futile attempt at doing something productive while waiting. Sitting by the window, she tried reading a book on the most recent developments in the cultivation of tropical fruits, but after reading the same page about a dozen times she was about to give up on that as well. Luckily, Miss. Patel chose that exact moment to come and interrupt her, slamming the door open in her excitement.

“Mr. Alexander has returned,” she said in a rush, making Adaline look up in startled surprise. “He is in the library I believe, if you still wish to speak with him. I heard the maidens talk about it, Miss. Jones is apparently quite displeased at getting a horse returned this late.”

“At this hour and with the weather we are having I had almost expected he would stay in town,” Ada said and looked out the window; it was already dark outside and condensation was forming on the inside of the cold glass, which was rattling in the strong winds. A storm was brewing.

“Will you go see him?” Priya sat down next to her and took one of her hands, giving her an eager look. “You must, Ada, you have been like a caged lioness all day, it has been positively painful to watch.”

Hesitating, Adaline suddenly felt the weight of it all resting heavily on her, and after spending the whole day anxiously waiting for his return she suddenly dreaded having to face him. “I– Yes, I guess I shall, although I wish now that none of this had come to pass.”

“Always so melodramatic, at this rate you are giving Hannah a run for her money,” Priya teased and rolled her eyes before giving her a nudge. “Now go, before it is too late.”

Getting up, she steeled herself with determination and headed out of the room, quickly making her way towards the library before she had time to second-guess herself. Hair let loose and with her faithful, thick shawl wrapped around her shoulders, she felt her heart beating steadily faster the closer she got to her destination; like the battle drums of an army heading to war.

Entering the grand room, her cold resolve instantly faltered upon seeing Mr. Alexander there, making her come to a halt and take it in. Take _him_ in: Leaning against the mantelpiece of the large open fireplace, he seemed lost in thought as he stared into the fire, oblivious to her presence. The darkness of the evening and yellow glow of the flames cast his features in a contrasting display of shadow and light, and he looked to be carved from the richest mahogany, with eyes of a burning deep amber.

The sound of crackling firewood and the warmth emanating from where he stood was disarmingly welcoming, making her lower her shoulders as she took a few hesitant steps closer. _What am I doing?_ She thought, unable to tear her eyes away from him. _And_ _why does he have to be so, so… beautiful_. Eventually, the sound of her feet brushing against the soft rug altered him to her presence, causing him to straighten and his eyes flickered over to fix on her. His expression, initially tense with uncomfortable surprise, softened the instant he recognised her.

“Miss. Chalcraft,” he greeted her, one large hand gently running along the edge of the marble mantlepiece, seeming to almost caress it before he quickly pulled it back and firmly placed both hands behind his back. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“How was your day in town, Mr. Alexander?” She asked, deliberately avoiding his question while trying to decide on how to broach the topic of his nightly meetings with a woman, and that she’d seen them. Even a full day’s worth of thinking had not truly prepared her for this.

“Quiet, for the most part,” he replied slowly, eyeing her up as if struggling to read her but desperately trying to. “While I do enjoy my life here, it was nice to step away and meet up with an old friend for a day.”

“I can imagine.” Adaline stopped as close to him as was socially acceptable. Even while alone with him she followed the rules. _Especially_ when alone with him. And the fact that they were alone together was something she was becoming very aware of. “I am glad to hear you are enjoying your life here, Mr. Alexander, and I believe Miss. Trujillo has been particularly accommodating?”

“Miss. Trujillo? Yes, she has made me feel very welcome,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly but otherwise seeming completely oblivious to her words’ hidden implications. “As have you all, although, yes, some more than others.”

The way he gazed down at her sent a small shiver up her spine, and she instinctively clutched her shawl tighter around herself, despite there truly not being the need when stood in front of a fireplace like this. She did not break eye contact, however, instead focusing on him as if that would give her the courage needed. “Of course,” she said with a small smile, but it did not quite reach her eyes. “And I apologise for interrupting you at this hour, I know I must be a nuisance but–”

“Not at all, I greatly enjoy your company, Adaline.” He spoke quickly, interrupting her before she’d had time to finish her sentence. And... _he used my name_. Noticing what he’d just done the same instant the word left his mouth, his eyes went wide in horror before shifting away from her to once more look into the flames. Running a thumb along his bottom lip, he seemed nearly panicked as the awkward silence between them grew in magnitude. “Apologies,” he finally spoke again, “I, uhm, did not mean to. I mean, I should not have, ah… Please forgive me?”

Feeling equally lost for words, Adaline knew her own expression had to mirror his in terms of pure stunned surprise, and so she only found herself capable of nodding in silent compliance. Of course she forgave him, it was probably an honest mistake. It had to be. Yet her face suddenly felt very hot, and not just from the warmth radiating from the fireplace. The use of one’s name was reserved for family or very close friends only, or for someone one was, well, intimate with. And Noah was neither family nor a close friend.

“As always, words fail me,” he mumbled, mostly to himself and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, once more seeking her out. Swallowing hard, the way he looked at her made her forget any and all reason to her being there. Instead, she felt locked in place as he stepped closer, and she could see the hand by his side clenching and unclenching, his full lips slightly parted, conflict written on his face. _No,_ a voice at the back of her mind said firmly, forcing her out of the trance-like state. _No, I will not allow him to do to me what he must have done to Marisol, and God knows how many other women he has done this exact thing to. No! I will not be a fool, falling for such simple tricks._

“I was simply dropping by to ask you about something I saw last night.” She had to force the words out, but as she did so she also backed away from him, allowing the look on her face to harden. The coldness of her words seemed to startle him, and she continued before her courage failed her. “You see, I was wondering if you have any books covering the topic of, say, what to do when you witness something you should not have, but that is clearly forbidden. Something of an intimate nature - if I may be so blunt - involving a man and a woman alone together, at night.”

She could almost see the cogs turning in his head before he at last grasped her true meaning, and his jaw clenched. Nervously glancing around, he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, something she’d noticed he always did when feeling uncomfortable.

“Oh, right,” he stuttered, voice hoarse, and he had to clear his throat before trying to speak again. “I thought I heard someone last night, but I did not realise… Please, let me explain, it–”

No further words were spoken however, as the doors to the library were flung open and a flustered redhead rushed towards them while clutching her skirts. Clearly not having expected to find Adaline there as well, Hannah looked bewildered at the two of them, momentarily forgetting her purpose and simply staring while catching her breath.

“Miss. Perkins?” Ada prodded her gently, still feeling Noah’s gaze resting heavily on her but shoving all those feelings away for now, because whatever was going on between Mr. Alexander and Miss. Trujiloo, the urgency written on Hannah’s face told her this was more important. “What’s the matter?”

“Miss. Edwards has gone missing! No one has seen her since supper, but I assume she is not here? Oh, we need to locate her quickly, imagine if her father hears of this...” Hannah spoke in a rush of words, and as always when agitated she spoke in a higher pitch that made her voice tear through the quiet of the evening.

Shaking his head silently, confirming that Chelsea was not there, Noah’s brow furrowed in concern and Ada quickly spoke upon seeing the rising panic on Hannah’s pale face. “We will help in the search. And try not to worry, we will find her.” Giving her friend a smile, Adaline also reached out to take her hand, squeezing it gently in an attempt to reassure her before they left together to join the others.

What had started as a simple comment from Miss. Douglas on how quiet the girls were, had apparently rapidly snowballed to the point where every teacher and member of staff was engaged in turning the estate upside-down in an attempt at locating young Miss. Edwards. Candles and oil lamps were lit until the whole place was buzzing with activity, making it feel far from a calm Sunday evening in November. Students peered out of their rooms at the spectacle, whispering eagerly among themselves and rumours were soon spreading faster than syphilis in a brothel. That was, until Marisol had had enough of the disorganised state of things.

“Everyone not a teacher or staff, to bed!” Marisol had her hands at her waist, and her voice carried so well it felt like the small woman could make the walls shake worse than the winds if she willed it so. Around her everyone stopped dead in their tracks, instantly forgetting where they were rushing to in favour of staring at the furious headmistress. “Now!”

The students looked at each other before quickly rushing off, but not before Marisol dangerously narrowed her eyes, pointing to a small group that was trying to sneak away. “Everyone... except you three. Great hall, with me, pronto.” While her shouting was scary enough, when Miss. Trujillo lowered her voice to a soft hiss you knew you were in _real_ trouble, and the looks of terror on Lottie, Shannon and Jo’s face as they stared wide-eyed at each other told Ada they knew as much as well.

Marching off without another word, Miss. Trujillo led them all to the great hall, where she eventually came to a stop and turned around, arms crossed while she glared at the three young ladies. Adaline entered with the other teachers, curious and fairly certain she knew where Marisol was going with this. Mind on the missing Miss. Edwards, she didn’t notice that Noah was walking by her side until he nearly brushed against her, causing her to jump and glare up at him. Meeting her eyes, he attempted a soft, friendly smile, but she simply pursed her lips and decidedly walked away in the opposite direction.

 _He does not get to pretend like our conversation earlier did not happen._ She could swear she felt his eyes rest on her back, watching her stalk away, over to where Priya and Hannah stood. Miss. Patel raised an eyebrow at her, but Ada shook her head quietly. This was not the time.

“So, will one of you please tell me where Miss. Edwards has gone?” Marisol’s voice made the hall fall deadly quiet, with all eyes on the three students. They all looked at each other, even Shannon seemed nervous when put in front of the headmistress in this way. Growing impatient at the lack of response, Marisol’s brow furrowed further into an almost sneer as she glared at them over the rim of her glasses. “Well?”

“I told her not to go!” Miss. Joanna Evans was the first to break, of course, seemingly close to tears while she looked around at the gathered adults. “I said it was a bad idea all along, Miss. Trujillo, please do not tell my parents, please!”

“Jo!” Lottie exclaimed under her breath, and the other blonde squirmed uncomfortably, but Miss. Cullen seemed contemplative before sighing and placing a calming hand on Jo’s shoulder.

“Miss. Edwards went out to meet a Marlbridge boy, Miss. Trujillo,” she said gently, clearly having decided there was no point in keeping it secret any longer. “She said she would return before anyone noticed, and yet…”

“She went out, in this weather?” Marisol’s expression rapidly grew from anger to grave concern, and her head swivelled around to look out one of the large windows: It had started raining, hard. In this cold, that would quickly become dangerous if one remained outside for long, and a rush of whispers spread through the room. “Madness. And for some boy… We need to send out a search team. Was she on foot? Were they going to meet at Marlbridge Academy?”

Shaking their heads in disaffirmation, it was Lottie who spoke up this time, Jo having been reduced to tears and with Shannon trying to comfort the lanky girl. “They were going to meet somewhere in the forest. Mr. Miles said he knew a place she said, but refused to tell us where… If we knew the weather would get worse we would never have allowed her to leave Miss. Trujillo, honest to God.”

Marisol bit her bottom lip in a clear attempt at stilling her anger as she searched the small crowd, and Adaline knew what she was thinking, what she was worrying about. The lack of men at Rosehill House was rarely of any concern, but none of them had ever expected having to launch a search party to venture outside in the middle of a stormy night in November either. There was truly only one option, and that one option seemed to realise this right along with the rest of them.

“I shall go,” Mr. Alexander said gently, stepping forward and giving Miss. Trujillo a small nod. “I will need a horse, but knowing she must have headed towards Marlbridge… at least I have a direction.”

“Very well,” Marisol said, although not without a hint of hesitation. “Miss. Jones? Prepare a horse for Mr. Alexander, and quickly, if you would be so kind. And someone please go fetch Mr. Wilson and the doctor, we might be in need of them soon.” Anna-Julia cursed softly, never one to show lady-like restraint and composure, but did not protest before rushing out to get a mount ready as fast as possible, leaving the others to flutter about nervously. A few servants also left the great hall, some to do what Marisol had just instructed, while others were preparing some calming tea for the anxious teachers.

“He is so brave!” Hannah exclaimed, hands clutched to her chest while they watched him head out to the great hall and to the main doors once his horse was ready, the teachers following closely behind. “Heading out alone to search for a young maiden in need, oh it is like something from a romance novel!” 

With the doors now open, the cold hit them like a wall, and the sound of rain battering the ground and the howling gale forced them all to raise their voices. Standing by Miss. Trujillo’s side, Mr. Alexander was quickly pulling a coat on, handed to him by a shaking Elladine - the older lady seemed mere moments away from passing out and was muttering under her breath in an increasingly thicker Welsh accent.

“Except with no guarantee of a happy ending,” Adaline said quietly, realising with a small flinch of pain that she’d been clenching her fists so hard her nails were digging into her soft skin, and that she was unable to tear her eyes away from him. _He is going out alone, into the storm._ Meeting her eyes - as though he’d read her mind - Noah offered her a little smile, and she wondered if that was his attempt at reassuring her. If so it wasn’t working. _What if he does not return?_

There was no point contemplating these things she knew, but what else was she to do? Silently, she watched as Mr. Alexander tensed with an expression full of purpose before heading out into the night, mounting the fretful animal awaiting him before kicking his heels into its sides, and then he was gone. The sound of hoofbeats could only be heard for a few seconds before being deafened out by the pounding rain, and the doors were quickly shut. 

All they could do now, was wait.

After all the shouting, running, and constant activity for the last few hours, Rosehill House now came across nearly eerily quiet while they waited. Unable to sleep, most of the teachers instead set themselves to ensuring the students at least stayed in bed, and the great hall’s fireplace was lit to keep them all warm. Marisol eventually brought out her bottle of brandy, generously adding some to the coffee a servant had handed to her before offering it to anyone interested. This would be a long night, and outside the rains and winds showed no sign of letting up anytime soon.

Adaline sat with Priya and Hannah, although she regularly got up to look out the large windows facing the forest, trying to will the shape of a horse and rider to appear in the darkness - a futile hope of course, one could see nothing at all past the tears of cold rain running down the glass. Miss. Patel eventually shoved a cup of tea into her hands, and Ada held onto the frail porcelain as though it was a lifebuoy and she was drowning at sea. Once more the hours were crawling by, and it felt as though it had been near a week since she’d seen Noah and Marisol together in the library, rather than a simple day.

“They are here! Oh thank the heavens, they are here!” The sound of Miss. Douglas shouting and running into the large room broke through the tense silence, making more than a few jump at hearing the usually so quiet music teacher call out in such relief and joy. At hearing the news, Adaline nearly dropped her cup as she put it down on a nearby table, spilling tea on her dress, before rushing out to the entrance hall, her heart racing in her chest. He was back.

Coming in through the main doors, Mr. Alexander was evidently tired but nonetheless smiling at the welcome, and in his arms he carried a wet and muddy, but very much alive, Miss. Edwards. The petite blonde was bundled up inside his coat, which he’d wrapped around her, shivering and crying, her slim arms wrapped around his neck.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Miss. Sarabi cooed and quickly bundled up the young lady in a heavy blanket as Noah carefully let her down. Swarming around Chelsea in relief, the women fussed and pulled her along to rest in front of the fireplace in the great hall, ignoring her tears and mumbled apologies for now. Among the racket, Mopsy the pug came sprinting down the stairs, barking excitedly and eagerly following her owner while wagging her tail - it wasn’t just the people of Rosehill House that showed relief at Miss. Edward’s safe return.

After a quick glance over her shoulders, her eyes soon returned to look at Noah who was left standing nearly alone, shivering lightly and staring exhaustedly after the women, and her eyes instantly widened. Utterly drenched, his white shirt clung to his torso, allowing for the contours of his body to show clearly through the thin fabric, and what a body it was. Muscles like this was something she’d never seen before: broad, strong shoulders leading down to a chest and abdomen that could have fooled her into thinking he was carved from soft stone if it weren’t for the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he was catching his breath. It was like looking at an illustration of Adonis come alive.

Lifting a hand to run it through his wet hair, his muscles flexed ever so slightly and her jaw dropped, leaving her unable to look away. Instead, she traced his rippling arm muscles with her eyes, before slowly moving her gaze down over his firm chest, to his hips and the tantalising v-shaped lines that pointed down and to…

With a start she slammed her mouth shut and forced her eyes up and away from, well, things usually hidden but that had become visible due to wet clothes. She most definitely did not feel cold any longer at least, quite the contrary. Swallowing hard, she felt almost timid while approaching him, removing her shawl from her own shoulders.

“Here,” she said softly, and he moved tired eyes to look down at her. The simple but genuine happiness that spread across his face upon seeing her there made her heart lurch in her chest. _Is this how he would look at me if he did not conceal his feelings so well? Or is it all an act, even now?_ Not wanting to linger on such thoughts however, she managed a gentle smile and got up on her toes to wrap the warm piece of fabric around his large shoulders. “You are cold.”

“Thank you,” he said, and upon accepting the gesture came to rest one of his hands on top of hers, pressing it to his chest.

Inhaling sharply, she could feel his heartbeat against the palm of her hand, his breathing now slow and steady. He was so, so... _solid_. And warm, even while covered in freezing cold rainwater his body heat seemed to radiate towards her. “You are very welcome.” She squealed, pulling her hand back before he’d notice she had started shaking, and quickly backing away from him. “I will, uhm, fetch the doctor. Just in case. Stay here… Please.”

Turning on her heel, it demanded every ounce of restraint she had left not to run away from him. She could swear she still felt his heart beat against her hand, and she stretched her fingers in a vain attempt at ridding herself of the memory of his touch. Gifting him the piece of warm fabric had been intended as a way of covering him up, instead she was left a flustering mess as she entered the great hall, mumbling something to the doctor about checking up on Mr. Alexander once he was done with Miss. Edwards before seeking out her friends.

“I am going to bed,” she croaked, and was instantly handed a cup of tea by a frowning Miss. Perkins. Taking a deep sip, she coughed delicately and smiled a little in apology.

“Is everything alright?” Hannah asked, concern written on her face before she studied her closer, and the literature teacher’s expression soon softened. “Oh Ada, you look dreadful!” Priya gave Hannah a raised eyebrow at that, but also she looked Adaline over with a look that spoke volumes, and she pointedly chose to finish her tea rather than comment on the state of her herself.

“Thank you,” Adaline muttered, but she was afraid her friend was very much correct, and so she deliberately avoided looking in the direction of any reflective surface. “It has been a long day, and sleep has not been my friend of late. I believe the stress and exhaustion has finally caught up with me.”

“We should all go get some sleep, truly,” Hannah sighed, “but I still feel too rattled by today’s events… But you go, we shall not be long ourselves. Miss. Trujillo will soon tell us all to go get some rest I am sure, and insist tomorrow will be like any other Monday, as if. Where is Mr. Alexander, by the way?”

“He remains by the entrance, the doctor went to check on him there I believe,” Adaline said and sighed, as thinking of Noah made her hand twitch. “I shall see you tomorrow. Good night.”

Smiling tiredly at the two of them, it was with great relief that she finally headed upstairs and to the quiet of her chambers, where she barely bothered to get changed before collapsing into bed. The soft sheets were a dear welcome, and curling up she closed her eyes and listened to the winds raging outside. To the steady rhythm of rain tapping against the window, the tension slowly left her body and a deep sleep finally caught her in its comforting embrace. But not before her thoughts drifted to think of the touch of a certain librarian; how his muscled chest twitched ever so slightly under her hand; how the way he looked at her brought down all her defenses; and how utterly terrified she’d been of losing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of you still reading this story, it means the world to me!


	9. Chapter 9

Despite Miss. Trujillo’s assurances, the following day was not at all like normal. Adaline barely had time to conceal a massive yawn behind a hand while she walked between the rows of students scribbling away, and for once she didn’t have the energy to even attempt at stopping the whispering going on between the gentle scratching sounds of quill on paper. Miss. Edwards had been instructed to stay in bed for a week, her constitution being considered particularly delicate and with fears of her becoming ill - her continuous crying wasn’t exactly helping either.

Lottie, Shannon, and Jo however were remarkably mellow where they were sat, heads down as they finished today’s test. It was the botany exam before the Christmas holidays, but yesterday’s debacle had quite overshadowed any minor interest in studies the ladies had ever had. Chelsea was exempt of course, one could not expect genteel women to prioritise studies over their own frail health after all. And Adaline didn’t mind, she barely managed to focus on it herself as she called time and watched while she young women got up. Her mind was on something else. Or rather, someone. Noah standing in the entrance hall, soaking wet shirt clinging to his torso, his hand against hers… It was so awfully distracting.

Waiting until the ink was dried, she collected the pieces of paper, making sure they all bore the correct names before piling it all together. At least she had enough work to distract her now, God knew she needed it. With another yawn she finished gathering the completed tests and the book she was currently reading from her desk, before holding it to her chest and leaving the conservatory. During winter it was one of the warmest and most comfortable rooms on the grounds, but right now she wondered if she couldn’t sneak off to her chambers for a nap before starting her assessment of the girls’ grasp of the natural sciences. If it looked like she was busy she was nearly certain she could get away with it.

Skirts flowing around her legs, she hurried past a cluster of students gossiping eagerly amongst themselves, nodding politely at them before making her way towards the stairs. It was almost midday and the hallways were busy, with Miss. Sarabi close to shouting after the youngest ones not to run, moaning at the impropriety of children today and the unavoidable downfall of society if such frivolous behaviour went unchecked. Because how could one possibly expect to marry if not well-trained in the arts of lady-like behaviour from the moment one could walk?

It made Adaline smile a little, reminding her of her own mother’s complaints at her behaviour. Dragging in mud, plants, and insects, combined with her constantly soiled skirts had nearly driven the poor woman mad. Now that she understood the constraints of society more however, she pitied, rather than loathed her mother for her constant criticism and near spiteful comments on how she would never get a husband acting as she did. Because was she not correct? Adaline was reaching the unmarriageable age of 25, and the one man who _had_ asked for her hand she’d eventually turned down, despite the match having been an incredibly good one - a man of Robert’s noble station shouldn’t even have considered someone like her. Perhaps if she’d listened more to her parents she would’ve been a wife by now. Alas.

Thoughts on such gruelling matters made her clutch her stack of papers closer to her chest, and a small huff of annoyance left her slightly parted lips. _I swear I never even thought of these things before, before… Oh curse that librarian and his perfectly chiseled torso. Perhaps Miss. Trujillo will let go of him if I beg that of her, but then again she herself seems quite taken by him. Considering their nightly meetings that I still am no closer to understanding the full extent of._

Thus, mind elsewhere, she didn’t pay attention to where she was going as she hurried along into the hall - and straight into Headmaster Lucas Koh. His handsome features bore clear signs of surprise at seeing her, before he reached out with one hand to steady her so she would not stumble, but not before her papers fled her embrace and fluttered away onto the stone floor.

“Oh, Mr. Koh,” she said, flustered and embarrassed at having crashed into him, she usually wasn’t this absentminded. But what was he doing here? “I am so sorry, I did not pay attention to my surroundings.”

“Miss. Chalcraft.” He bowed slightly and merely chuckled at her evident shock, allowing his hand to linger on her arm just a little longer than propriety would have usually allowed before stepping back. “The fault is all mine, I assure you. Please, allow me.”

With that, he leaned down and swooped the small pile of papers up, neatly forming them back into a perfect pile before placing her book on top of it and handing it back to her. Feeling heat rising to her cheeks, she couldn’t help but smile widely at him, a smile which he returned in the most striking manner. “Thank you, Mr. Koh.”

“No problem, and I must say that if I had to run into someone I am happy it was you, Miss. Chalcraft,” he said and the way his eyes rested on her, a small smile lingering on his lips, made her feel close to giddy. Headmaster Koh always had this effect on women, a fact he was very well aware of indeed. “And I see you enjoy the works of Miss. Edgeworth, a fine choice, if I may say so, for a lady as wonderfully bright as yourself.”

Before she’d time to reply in kind to the flattery, the sound of someone awkwardly clearing their throat behind Mr. Koh made both of them look over, to where another young man stood looking at the two of them. And a less than impressed Marisol.

“Apologies, Miss. Trujillo,” Lucas said, seemingly completely unphased by the look on the headmistress’ face. “Your teachers never cease to amaze me with their charm and grace, you must be very proud to be managing such dedicated and well-educated staff here, at the finest institution for women in England if I may say so.”

“Oh, well, yes, Mr. Koh.” Even the usually so stoic Miss. Trujillo was blushing at Mr. Koh’s compliments, and her anger seemed to have dissipated like smoke in the wind.

“Now, I am afraid I must offer you my apologies once more, Miss. Chalcraft,” he said, stepping elegantly aside to introduce her to the young gentleman in his company. “This is The Honourable Henrik Åkerblom of Norrköping, Sweden, and a student at Marlbridge Academy. Mr. Åkerblom, this is Miss. Chalcraft, botany teacher here at Rosehill House.”

“It is an honour, my lady.” The young, lanky man with the long blond hair bowed quickly, his accent barely there as he spoke.

“I am no lady, I am afraid,” Adaline chuckled, smile widening as a pink blush crept across his pale cheeks. “But thank you.” She recognized him, of course. Henrik had been at the Marlbridge Ball, he and Mr. Timothy Thompson had seemed to be having fun flirting with some of the Rosehill girls. He was also the son of some wealthy Swedish nobleman who had sent his son to England for a ‘proper’ education. Adaline suspected it was more from a hope of having his troublemaker son disciplined and potentially finding a good wife during the social season - she had not realised it was Chelsea he had his eyes on however.

“He insisted on coming along, refusing to accept my promise of reassuring him of Miss. Edwards’ wellbeing at once upon my return. And who am I to stand in the way of such sincere concern?” Lucas seemed almost amused looking at his student, clearly finding the impulses of youth charming in their own irrational way. “I am also here to let you all know that Mr. Miles is being dealt with, but that I nonetheless hope that you will be able to use this as a warning to the other ladies. Because this _will_ reach London, and rumours of her dishonourable and potentially loose skirted behaviour is quite likely to ruin the young lady’s reputation and chances of finding a suitor, regardless of her beauty and charms.”

A muscle in his jaw tensed at this, and Ada nodded quietly. Going out alone at night to meet up with a man, without a chaperone… It could ruin a woman’s life. “I feared as much,” Marisol sighed in grave agreement, well aware of the implications as well. “Miss. Chalcraft, would you be so kind and escort Mr. Koh and Mr. Åkerblom to see Miss. Edwards? I have already sent a servant up to ensure she is presentable of course and to remain with her, but an additional chaperone in the room will only do good at this point.”

“Of course, Miss. Trujillo.” Adaline bowed her head subserviently, but groaned internally at this disruption in her plans to go get some sleep. On the other hand she would get to spend more time with the headmaster, and surely that would only brighten her mood. “If you would please come with me, gentlemen?”

Lucas was quick to offer her his arm, and she smiled while accepting – tucking her papers and book under her other arm – before guiding them upstairs; and earning more than a handful of jealous looks on the way. Where she would normally turn down to the teachers’ wing she now headed the opposite way, to where the students had their quarters, and soon enough knocked on the door to Miss. Edwards and Miss. Crawford’s chambers. Lottie was attending her classes for the day, so at the moment it was just Chelsea, a maid, and Mopsey the pug.

Sat up in bed, supported by a small pile of soft pillows and blankets, it was evident that she had made an effort to make herself presentable and yet her puffy eyes and not-quite-perfect hair spoke of her troubled state. By now, Ada had heard more of what had actually happened: apparently Mr. Miles and Chelsea had been writing to each other (something that in and of itself was strictly forbidden) since the Marlbridge Ball, and they had eventually planned a secret, romantic meeting at night. Jasper, however, had not shown up and thus left young Miss. Edwards to get lost in the storm, which had resulted in the rather tumultuous night for all.

“Miss. Edwards,” Mr. Koh said gently and bowed, as did Henrik by his side. Keeping a polite distance, he regarded Chelsea for a moment and Adaline untangled herself from him to step back, settling for simply observing. “I am most apologetic for the, ah, troubles you went through last night. I have written to his father, The Right Honourable Earl of Kingston, to alert him of his son’s behaviour and its likely implications regarding the betrothal to a Miss. Knightley of Swansea.”

At that, Chelsea’s façade crumbled and a sob escaped her, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. “Jasper… Oh, my Jasper, he said he loved me,” she sniffed, her pug noticing the despair in her voice and whimpering helplessly by her side. “He promised– he promised me that, that…” With that she was reduced to tears once more, and Henrik was by her side in an instant, hesitating only slightly before taking her hand in his. Giving him a curious look, Adaline couldn’t help but smile every so lightly despite the grim mood; perhaps Chelsea hadn’t quite ruined her chances of getting married after all.

Mr. Koh simply walked over to the window, looking outside and allowing the lady to calm down without him watching her. Similarly, Ada did her best to not listen too overtly as Henrik offered Miss. Edwards soft assurances and soothing words. The Swede was positively smitten by the petite blonde, and while they talked the colour slowly returned to Chelsea’s cheeks and she even smiled at him - Mr. Jasper Miles seemingly driven to the back of her mind for now.

Glancing over towards Headmaster Koh’s broad back, she found herself surprised at his generosity with this visit. No one would have expected him to come here to make sure of Chelsea’s wellbeing, let alone allow Mr. Åkerblom to accompany him and practically start courting her. _He knows this might save Chelsea’s honour,_ she thought, _if he plants the seeds of a potential match now, it might sprout into a marriage by the end of the season. He is helping her…_ Lucas was many things, but she’d never considered him particularly soft. This once she did not mind being proven wrong.

“Mr. Åkerblom?” Lucas finally turned and smiled at the two youths, but with an air of finality about him. “I believe we have done what we came here for?”

“Ah, yes of course, Mr. Koh.” Henrik blinked a little, startled, before looking at Chelsea with a cheeky grin that made her giggle delicately. And was she batting her eyelashes at him? “Miss. Edwards, it was lovely seeing you and that you look so beautiful despite all the troubles you must have gone through. Will I see you at the ball next weekend?”

The winter ball, of course, was a grand event and marked the beginning of the Christmas holidays. Only the oldest year group of students were allowed to attend, unfortunately for Mr. Åkerblom however… “Miss. Edwards has been instructed to remain in bed for a week, and will not be attending,” Adaline said, ignoring the pout on Chelsea’s face. This was also part of her punishment for breaking the rules, and she knew that very well. “I am sure you will see her during the London season after Easter though.” That didn’t lessen Chelsea’s evident annoyance, but Henrik seemed nearly eager at the notion.

“Good,” Lucas said and smiled a little at Adaline, “then I believe we shall be going, no need bothering these lovely ladies with our presence any further.”

“You are never a bother, Mr. Koh,” she replied with a gentle smile of her own. “And I believe you are well aware of that fact.” Raising a teasing eyebrow, she couldn’t help herself, and to her relief he simply laughed at her forwardness.

“Perhaps.” With that, he even winked at her before offering her his arm once more and allowing her to guide them back to the entrance hall. Their carriage was quickly brought forth and polite words were exchanged as Marisol once more joined them to offer Headmaster Koh her sincere gratitude at his concern for Miss. Edwards and general handling of the matter. Curtsying, Ada saw them off before allowing herself to slump back against the wall, barely avoiding dropping her small pile of papers again.

Headmistress Trujillo simply gave her a tight-lipped smile, pushing her glasses up her nose before giving her the once advice she always did. “You should start drinking coffee, my dear.”

Adaline did _not_ drink coffee. Instead, she opted for her original plan of getting some more sleep, which also allowed her a respite from all the others. Retreating to her and Priya’s chambers, she put the students’ botany tests down on the dressing table before glancing out the window. What a difference a day made. It was bright and sunny, cold but refreshingly so. Only the glistening grounds and still drooping trees told of last night’s weather, but other than that the world seemed perfectly still and tranquil in the light of the afternoon sun.

Settling on her bed, she sat reading her book for a while until her eyelids felt too heavy and the same page had been read a dozen times. Sleep came easy after that, even while fully dressed and with a corset pressing against her ribs and chest, her mind and body was simply too exhausted. It was only a gentle shake by Priya’s hand on her shoulder that finally woke her, letting her know it was time for supper.

With most of the day gone, she felt almost guilty while dining with the others, a feeling of something resembling inadequacy intruding upon her thoughts. _I’ve allowed men and unwanted female sensibilities to distract me, when I should be fully focused on my job. Marisol would be disappointed if she knew._ Stirring her soup slowly, she did her best to convince herself that these feelings would pass. They had to, surely? She was in love, there was no point denying it, but she didn’t _want_ to be.

As night fell, and to help occupy her mind and to feel like she had accomplished at least something during the day, she decided to start reading through the students’ tests. 

Sat by the dressing table, the steady flames of a couple of candles as her quiet company, she quite enjoyed the silence and near solitude - Priya was steadily asleep in her bed, having not gotten the rest that Ada had during the day.

Scribbling her own tiny correction notes along the paper margins, Adaline lost herself to her work, until the moon had risen high enough to be glimpsed through the small gaps of the curtain covering the window. Rolling her shoulders before stretching, she tried to wipe some ink off her fingers before looking over at the candles; they had nearly burnt away completely, making the flames wax and wane as if gasping for breath. Glancing at her timepiece confirmed her suspicion, and she nearly surprised herself with how late it was.

Getting up, she started to quietly change into her bed shift, shuddering from the cold as she put her thickest wool socks on. Thinking of warmer summer days, she was in the midst of climbing into bed when she heard it: footsteps. Frozen in place while lifting her blankets, her ears had picked up on the unmistakable and by now nearly familiar sound of creaking floorboards coming from the hallway.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the gentle sound of whom she assumed to be Headmistress Trujillo passing by the room and continuing on to the parlour. Breathing steadily, Ada determinedly sat down on her bed, waiting until the night had fallen still again before allowing herself to glance over towards the door again. This was none of her business, she knew, and she should get some sleep rather than hurt at seeing the man she was falling for with another woman again. But as she laid down in bed, all she could do was stare up at the dark ceiling, recalling what she’d witnessed that other night. The need to know was nagging her however, gnawing away at her resolve to stay put until it was gone, lost to her ever hungering curiosity.

Biting her bottom lip lightly, she got up and nervously made her way out of the room before she could stop to think, drawn by what felt like a near self-destructive desperation to have her suspicions confirmed. Walking down the cold corridor, she soon enough found herself approaching the door to the parlour, once more left ever so slightly ajar and allowing for a golden sliver of warm light to stretch out across the floor, guiding her path. Stepping closer, she heard hushed words being exchanged and the sound of rustling fabric, accompanying the thudding of her own heart in her chest.

Placing herself as near to the door as she dared, she swallowed hard and blocked out any remaining hesitation before leaning closer and looking into the room. Bracing herself for the worst.

In the light of an oil lamp, she saw Marisol with her lips pressed against those of another, soft moans escaping her, and with hands tugging impatiently at pieces of clothing. As they moved towards the nearest Chaise longue, Adaline’s mouth fell open in shock. Because it wasn’t Noah that was moving his hands down along Marisol’s bodice, leaning over her now with his lips against her neck. It was Mrs. Talia Wilson.

Her mind did not get time to process what she was seeing though, before a strong hand clamped over her mouth from behind, stopping her from screaming before she’d even had the thought to do so. Tensing every muscle in her body, she struggled in vain as she was pulled back a few steps before being spun around and pressed against the wall. Panic rising in her chest, she struggled to focus in the darkness, until she could finally make out the soft features of Mr. Alexander.

“Shhh,” he whispered softly, easing the pressure of his hand, “promise you will not scream, please?” His face was a mere few inches from her own, a worried look on his face and yet there was a slightly amused glimmer in his eyes, sparkling in the night.

Nodding silently, she slowly calmed herself as he lowered his hand before smiling apologetically and moving to run the hand through his hair. Still tasting the metallic taste of the fear she’d felt, she was slowly becoming aware of how close they were. Inappropriately so. Ada with her back to the wall, and his body nearly flush against hers, she was sure he must have been able to feel her heart racing in her chest.

“Apologies, Miss. Chalcraft, I just did not want you to wake anyone else,” he said, keeping his deep voice low and glancing around to make sure no one else was there sneaking around like she’d been. Glancing back at her, he finally seemed to take note of her only wearing her bed shift, and his eyes widened while he took her in before forcing himself to look away from her.

“But what, I don’t, I–” She stammered, struggling to form a cohesive thought, let alone speak it. At having one's perceptions so drastically altered in just the blink of an eye, even Adaline found herself brought to dumbfounded silence.

“I shall explain, come.” Placing a comforting hand just above her elbow, Noah threw another cautious look around before guiding her to the room next to the parlour: a small study, with one single candle as its only source of illumination, placed on a small table by the window. “Please, sit.” Pulling out a chair for her, Ada was more than happy to sit down, her expression probably one of blank confusion, but she couldn’t care less.

“What is going on?” She finally mustered, feeling utterly lost and wrapping her arms around herself as a shiver of cold went up her spine. Noticing her small shudder, Noah’s brow furrowed in concern before reaching over to his chair and pulling a shawl – _her shawl_ – from it and wrapping it around her. For a moment, his hands lingered on her shoulders, the gentle pressure of his touch making her draw a deep breath, before he moved away to sit down in his own chair.

“I am sorry for surprising you,” he started, speaking slowly and with his eyes downcast, carefully considering his words. “I was afraid you would make a sound, maybe wake the others, or at least make Miss. Trujillo aware of your presence. I– I should have explained this sooner. I wanted to, last night, and was about to before we were interrupted. What you saw, last time you were sneaking about at night.” He paused and smiled at her at that, seeming almost impressed as he regarded her. “It was not something improper between Miss. Trujillo and I, please believe me, I hold no feelings for her beyond respect, and I would never cross that line even if I did.”

“Oh.” That was all she managed, and why did that last part he said disappoint her? Sensing her continued confusion, he gently wetted his lips, seeming almost awkward before continuing.

“As you saw tonight, it is, uhm, something rather forbidden and extremely private that our Headmistress is involved with. The nature of these nightly meetings is of an intimate nature, after all, and sometimes the weight of it all. The _implications_. It becomes too much for her. What you saw, was me comforting her, as a friend.”

“But why are you involved at all?” Finally recovering from the shock, Ada frowned as she studied him, meeting his steady gaze and holding it, urging him to be honest with her.

“Because I caught them once as well, a few months back,” he sighed. “They were both terrified I would tell on them, which is a reasonable fear and perhaps it is what I should have done, but instead I–”

“Instead, you are covering for them, keeping guard,” she finished for him. The realisation made her lean back, and she couldn’t help it as a small, astonished laugh escaped her. Covering her mouth with a hand, she tried to hold back her giggles while sweet relief washed over. _He isn’t having an affair with Marisol, he never did._ “Oh, I have been such a fool.”

“You thought that... Oh, uhm, right,” he chuckled and shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “I mean, I can see why you would think so. I guess it did look rather suspicious, seeing us two together like that.”

“It very much did,” she said, still with a lighthearted ring to her tone and feeling like a burden had finally been lifted off her shoulders. “I cannot believe I have spent a week thinking you were, well, frolicking, with Miss. Trujillo.”

“ _Frolicking_?” Noah raised his eyebrows teasingly, making her cheeks grow ever the bit hotter under his heavy gaze. “I can assure there has been nothing improper taking place, I am not one to ruin womens’ reputations, Miss. Chalcraft.”

“Well, good,” she said, clearing her throat and, eager to change the topic of conversation, reached out to pick up the book he’d been reading instead. “Glenarvon? You might not be participating in any frolicking, Mr. Alexander, but you sure like reading about it.” She had not read it yet herself, but the sensational and thinly veiled portrayal of the rake Byron corrupting an innocent bride had of course reached Rosehill House.

“I prefer it for its mockery of some of our country’s dear politicians,” he said, one corner of his mouth turning upwards in amusement. “Even as more of a Whig myself, I rather enjoy seeing them satirised - especially my uncle. The book itself is rather nonsensical and poorly written unfortunately, but it is perfect for when I am on the lookout for ghosts in the night.”

“I might be out of bed after hours, but I am not the one spending my nights protecting some forbidden love affair while reading scandalous romance novels. I did not even know two women could, you know...” Waiving a hand around after having put the book back down, she tried to find the right word, but what did one call it when two women were acting so frivolously together?

Once more, Noah seemed simultaneously entertained, sympathetic and slightly awkward as he smiled at her. “I, eh, assume you have never spent a season in London? Although I guess genteel women should not know of these matters.”

“No, do these things happen often?” Curious now, she automatically leaned a bit closer and lowered her voice, as if afraid someone would hear them. “I have never heard of such things before. Do men do something similar with each other then?”

“Ah, uhm, not _often_.” Pulling at the collar of his shirt, he seemed positively bothered at the topic as he avoided looking directly at her. “And it is most definitely not something I should be discussing with you, I do not intend to corrupt your virtuous nature. We should not even be here alone like this, it is improper.”

Despite rolling her eyes a little, she knew he was right, but she was intrigued now. Not that she actually understood what she was asking, she just saw how nervous it made him and couldn’t resist teasing him further, all while resting her chin on her hand and smiling mischievously. “Have you ever been with a man in such a manner?” 

“Have I– What? No!” Now he was staring at her, eyebrows raised in horror at the mere suggestion and that it came from her pretty mouth. “And we really should not be discussing this.”

“Whyever not?” Tilting her head and raising a quizzical eyebrow at him, she felt like she should know these things based on the incredulous look he gave her. She was well aware of the rules, and what was expected and allowed behaviour from well-bred women, but was this topic truly that off-limits? Thinking of what she’d just seen Marisol and Talia doing, perhaps it was.

“It is bad enough that we are here in this room alone, you wearing just your shift.” His eyes travelled down from her face at that, and she felt her blood run hot, making she wrap her shawl more firmly around herself. As if that would make her any less indecent. “Add to that the indelicate topic of our conversation, nearing dangerously close to matters of the _bedchamber_ , and which I really should not be telling you about. I do not want to do damage to your honour, Miss. Chalcraft.”

He was right, of course he was, but then why did it not feel wrong? Surely she should be feeling shameful at this; spending time alone with a man not courting her, and had she not already been a spinster she would’ve been ruined. _But I enjoy his company_ , she acknowledged to herself, _not just the idea of him, I actually, truly like him._ Dangerous indeed. Feeling his eyes on her, she raised her own gaze and met his, allowing herself a inhale of cool air before speaking again. “Adaline, you may call me Adaline, please.”

“Adaline it is,” he said, and once more the sound of her name on his lips made her heart flutter in her chest, something she for once didn’t resist, choosing instead to allow it to excite her. “Then I am Noah to you, if you do not mind?”

“Not at all, Noah.” She didn’t mean to sound quite as breathless as she did, nor smile quite as widely, but she couldn’t help it. Using each other's names as such, it felt meaningful, and more intimate than with her other friends. Studying his features and trying to read his thoughts, she wondered if he felt like she did. If he felt the rush of heat and yearning that she did every time he entered a room, the way she was drawn to him as if pulled by an invisible thread, and how she lingered on every word he said - as if they carried the meaning of life itself. _Does he feel the same?_

Tearing herself away from the deep pools of dark amber that were his eyes, Ada looked down at the table, only to notice how close their hands were to each other’s. When had she even put it there? A few of her delicate fingers twitched on their own accord, as if longing for his touch, so tantalisingly close. The slight movement was enough to make him glance down, and he carefully reached out to take her hand in his, lifting and examining it silently.

“Were you writing? Before deciding to go for a wander at night, I mean?” It took her an instant to grasp his meaning, until she took a closer look herself and noticed the ink stains that still remained on her fine skin. A jolt went through her as she felt his index finger slide across her wrist, the feeling of skin against skin on the sensitive pulse point making her gasp silently, and it took a great deal of restraint to pull her hand back from him and place it firmly in her lap. _Just because I have feelings for him does not mean I should act on them. Quite the opposite._

“I, ah, yes, I was marking some tests,” she said quickly, a crease forming between her brows as she avoided looking directly at him, collecting herself and desperately searching for a distraction. “You said your uncle is a politician?”

“Oh?” Blinking a few times, Noah sounded confused for a few seconds before catching on and pulling his own hand away, accepting the change of topic. “I mean, yes, he is. Not a particularly good one though, I am afraid, or perhaps I should say he _is_ talented, it is simply that we disagree on pretty much everything. He calls himself a Whig, and yet opposes any notion of progress and reform, refusing to accept the importance of public opinion and does not seem to even acknowledge the impact Napoleon’s defeat is having on the political landscape. Trying to tell him all this is of no use of course, and I– I am probably boring you with this conversation, I apologise.”

“What? Not at all.” Adaline perked up in her chair and smiled at his apologetic expression, she on the other hand loved seeing him grow this passionate about something, and that he was so open to sharing his thoughts with her. “No one ever wishes to speak politics with me, or women in general I imagine, please go on. I would quite like to hear more about your opinions on such matters.”

Relief washing over his face, the smile he gifted her was warm enough to scare off the winter cold. “You truly are a remarkable woman, Adaline.”

A deep feeling of comfort settled between the two of them as Noah happily indulged her in discussing current events, and the hypocrisy and corruption of a select few politicians and the London ton. She knew not half as much as he, and yet he did not judge her for it. Quite the contrary, he seemed to enjoy the conversation almost more than she did. It was like they both got to speak freely for the first time, as friends and confidants. Equals. The release was palpable, and the tension she usually held around him slowly melted away while she lost herself to their conversation.

Only the sounds of a creaking door and hushed voices coming from the hallway made them both fall silent, listening to the two women outside exhaching a few words, and perhaps more, before wishing each other good night. Noah remained quiet for a while before sighing and giving her a soft look. “I guess that means my guard duties have come to an end for the night,” he said and stood up, offering her his hand. “It has been a pleasure, and a pleasant surprise, to have you as my companion tonight.”

“It has indeed been a pleasure. Thank you for allowing me to share your company.” Ada accepted his hand and let him help her to her feet, but this time she didn’t pull her hand back at once. Eyes travelling up his chest and to his face, they lingered on his lips for a moment before rising further, to find his own eyes already waiting to catch hers in their depths.

“You are very welcome.” His voice was like rich velvet, and slightly hoarse as he took a hesitant step closer. Thumb gently caressing her knuckles, he seemed to examine her – searching for something, leaving her feeling so vulnerable and exposed where she stood. Almost naked. Tearing his eyes away from her, he clenched his jaw slightly before letting go of her hand and stepping away from her. “Good night, Adaline.”

“Good night, Noah,” she mumbled, nearly gasping for a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, confusion written on her face as he simply nodded politely at her before taking his leave. _What just happened?_ Seeming to take all the warmth with him in his parting, it was the cold that eventually broke her trance-like state. Hugging her shawl closer, she buried her nose in it, inhaling deeply and letting the faint hint of his scent – masculine but mixed with a hint of spice – comfort her. It was enough to make her imagine what it would feel like, being held by him. _But that doesn't seem particularly likely to happen._

With a sigh, she blew out the candle and left the room, hurrying back to her chambers to huddle up in her bed. And still somehow managing to not wake Priya. Slowly falling asleep, Ada contemplated what she’d seen, all while trying to untangle what on earth was going on between Noah and her. If there was anything at all, that was. It was all so confusing, and men dared calling _women_ complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always all comments etc. are much appreciated 💋
> 
> Next, the grand winter ball...


	10. Chapter 10

The grand winter ball. While neither the most important nor splendid event of the year – far from it – it surely felt like it after a long and glum autumn. Hosted by the recently widowed Lady Lucy Hazelton of Bristol, it was _the_ place to see and be seen for anyone who was someone (or at least wished they were) before the Christmas month officially began. According to tradition, the oldest students at both Rosehill House and Marlbridge Academy were all invited, with the ball being considered as one last outing before the social season began for the women, whereas the men would embark on their tours of Europe if they so wished. Or, as less polite crowds would have put it: before the ladies entered the marriage market like prime beef, and the gentlemen went to sow their premarital seeds across continental Europe’s finest brothels.

As befitting such an occasion, the teachers were also invited, largely to act as chaperones but also as highly regarded members of the upper class in their own right. Most of them were of landed gentry and had fine educations after all, and so they were not shunned by fine society. Pitied perhaps, but not ignored.

Barely listening to Hannah and Priya’s eager talk about tonight’s events and attendants, Adaline had pulled the curtain of their coach aside to look outside as they approached the Hazelton mansion. Bright torches lined the driveway as they neared the large building, lighting up the magnificent stone façade in all of its pristine glory, with the building’s many beautifully carved angles forming a stark outline against the backdrop of the moon and stars glittering high above the black clouds.

Trying not to marvel was in vain; her eyes were shining in wide-eyed wonder in the torchlight as the carriage door was opened and a footman offered her his hand for her to step out. Perhaps it was over-done, and Lady Hazelton was known to be a bit too eager to please, yet the splendor of the wealthy would never cease to amaze her. It reminded her of the few balls she’d gotten to enjoy at the McKenzie summer estate, which had always been the most wonderful and anticipated for the Bath elite.

“Oh, how stunning,” Hannah said softly by her side, taking Adaline’s arm and guiding them both inside, Priya following close behind but having been minorly distracted when saying her thanks to the handsome footman. “Lady Hazelton has truly outdone herself this year, this is almost like being in London again, if not a tad vulgar... It is such a shame you never got to experience a season, Ada, you surely would have made for a lovely débutante.”

“Perhaps,” she replied with a gentle chuckle, not quite sure how well she would have fit in with the London ton - Bath had seemed more than enough at the time. “Although I would not have had the right connections to get far, I am afraid, nor the means to buy my way in either.” Her father had made sure of that, leaving her with no dowry to speak of, and thus making her engagement to The Honourable Mr. McKenzie even more of a miracle. Clearly, she had not appreciated such a miracle enough.

“Money does not matter when it comes to love,” Miss. Perkins shook her head as if attempting to chide her, but truly just allowing her naivete to shine through. “It is all about _romance_.”

“Too bad romance is so expensive then.” With a crooked little smile, Adaline entered the grand dance hall with her friend, granting herself a moment to stop and take it all in.

A tall ceiling, golden chandeliers and gilded walls, all gleaming in the light of hundreds of candles. The room’s acoustics allowed for the soft sound of the orchestra to fill the whole space without being obtrusive, instead urging people to dance. Champagne and wine was placed on tables covered in pristine white cloth, along with fruit and other delicacies that looked more like complicated decorations than food, the excess of it all making her almost regret the waste that would result from this night. The massive, colourful flower decorations pushed it all over the top, but Adaline could still appreciate the beauty of the individual pieces, making for a nice contrast to her regular surroundings at Rosehill House.

Yet this was but one room at the guests’ disposal. Lucy always made sure to show off as much of her wealth as possible, presenting nearly her whole home for them to admire, and judge.

“Why on earth are you still standing here staring when there is wine to be had and handsome men to dance with?” Miss. Patel had finally caught up and grinned at the two while raising an eyebrow in disapproval. “Come on, let us promenade around the room. We look far too beautiful not to be thoroughly admired tonight.”

Gracefully accepting a drink each from the nearest waiter, the three of them slowly made their rounds. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd, both from the schools and from people she knew from before her time at Rosehill - it seemed like a lifetime ago now. They did not get far before Miss. Patel was approached, of course, by a rather shy Mr. Chapman asking all too sweetly for her first dance. With Hannah soon being asked to dance as well, Adaline was left standing alone by a tall window, sipping her wine and finding herself looking for one familiar face in particular. 

The handsome frame of Mr. Alexander should’ve been easy enough to spot, with his height he would be taller than most others, yet she could not locate him in the ballroom. _I know he is here_ , she thought while absentmindedly nodding along to the dull conversation of some older gentleman who’d cornered her before she’d had time to come up with an excuse, _maybe he is in one of the other rooms? He said he does not dance after all. Perhaps one of the parlours..._

“Miss. Chalcraft?” The sound of a deep, male voice from behind made her turn in anticipation, and for the first time in her life she was disappointed to see Mr. Koh standing there. Striking as always in his dark suit, he would have sent any other woman’s heart aflutter, and she could feel more than a few sets of eyes turn towards them as one of the few eligible bachelors of any desirability bowed his head at her.

“Mr. Koh,” she smiled and curtsied, her disappointment quickly fading as he openly and unabashedly took her in. Those smouldering eyes of his truly did something to anyone brave enough to stare back into their dark depths. “How lovely to see you again.” The gentleman she had been talking with huffed in annoyance, and while Adaline hadn’t turned her back on him completely, she also did not acknowledge his evident displeasure with more than an apologetic shrug.

“I shall say the same, you look beautiful,” Lucas didn’t even grace the other man with so much as a look, knowing himself more worthy of her attention. “I was wondering if you would be so kind and allow me your first dance of the night?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Eagerly accepting his arm, she was more than happy to let him guide her into a dance. There were much worse distractions than Headmaster Koh after all. 

Her white dress elegantly swirled around her legs whilst they moved together, it’s soft fabrics embroidered with the most delicate details and hugging her body in just the right places. It was the nicest gown in her possession, and while usually not too concerned with her looks, this night she had wanted to be beautiful.

Still, even as her hand rested on his; leading and moving her across the polished floor, she couldn’t stop herself from searching for _him_. The polite conversation was nice, and Mr. Koh was a graceful dancer, but she found herself longing for more. _Here I am, being spoiled with the gentle flirtations of Lucas, only to be wanting another._ Knowing that Mr. Koh was not aiming for marriage helped her relax however, allowing her to smile and simply enjoy herself rather than worry about any ulterior motives. _Still, I wish it was Mr. Alexander, no, Noah, I was dancing with. Oh to feel his touch again, his hand on my skin, eyes exposing my desires._

“You seem rather preoccupied with your own thoughts tonight, Miss. Chalcraft,” Lucas commented after stepping closer to her again after a turn, strong hand holding hers even as the song came to an end. “I hope I do not bore you?”

“Not at all,” she said, giving him an apologetic look. “I am sorry for being such a poor dance partner tonight, my mind has simply been all over the place lately. But believe me, you could never be boring, even if you tried, Mr. Koh.”

He chuckled softly at that, offering her his arm to step off the dance floor for now. She, of course, accepted and smiled up at him right while he glanced back down at her. “As always, Miss. Chalcraft, you flatter me. Now, may I offer to get you a glass of wine? It is quite warm in here, and…” Lucas trailed off as something made him glance up, and Ada quickly looked in the same direction as him, to see what had caused the interruption.

Standing by the edge of the dance floor right in front of them was Mr. Alexander, bright brown eyes glancing from her, to Lucas, and back again, his jaw visibly clenching at the sight. _Is he jealous? No, it can’t be._ Trying not to show her amusement, she pressed her lips together to fight the smile threatening to betray her, all while feeling the Headmaster draw himself up by her side. _And is he pulling me closer? What is it about these men and their entitlement when it comes to us women?_

“Mr. Koh,” Noah nodded politely, his smile tense until his head turned down to gaze at her and upon seeing the small smile she offered him, lowered his shoulders somewhat.

“Ah, Mr. Alexander, was it?” Lucas said slowly, and she recognised that he was doing his best to seem disinterested all while eyeing up the other man to determine the worthy-ness of his opponent. Despite nearly rolling her eyes at them, she did secretly love the fuss, not even she could deny that. “Enjoying the ball?”

“Yes, quite,” he said, looking briefly at where Adaline’s arm rested around Lucas’s and shifting his weight from one leg to another. _Is he nervous? Whatever for?_ “I simply wanted to ask for your next dance, Miss. Chalcraft. Unless you are already spoken for, that is…”

“I did not think you danced, Mr. Alexander?” The words he’d spoken had come so quick and were so unexpected that it threw her a bit, and so her own were full of disbelief. Searching his face, willing him to meet her eyes, Adaline tried to understand what had come over him.

“I, well, I– This was probably a bad idea,” Noah muttered, still avoiding looking directly at her as he nodded at Lucas. “Apologies for disrupting the two of you.”

“No, please, wait.” Without thinking, she reached out with her free hand and placed it on his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks, and finally, he raised his eyes to meet hers. One look, and her chest contracted with a jolt. “I would very much like to dance with you.”

“Really?” The relief softened his features, and the smile that spread across his face was enough to make her breathe again, inhaling deeply as she felt his muscles relax under his coat. God, was every part of him this solid?

“Well, I shall not stop you, I believe the next dance is about to begin,” Lucas sighed and Adaline curtsied politely at him before he walked away, going to get a drink on his own. Trembling slightly, she accepted Noah’s arm, feeling small by his side as he guided them onto the floor. Not, however, before she saw Mr. Chapman watching the two of them from just a short distance away, a pleased grin on his face.

“You look divine, Adaline,” Mr. Alexander whispered as he turned to face her, his hand holding hers, gentle but firm, and pulling her just a bit closer than what was proper. He sounded almost scared of his own words, and the expression on his face stole whatever reply she might’ve had from her lips, leaving her trembling while other couples came to join them or simply staying for another dance.

He was so near, and yet she wished to be nearer, wanting nothing but to close the distance between them. It was like a deceptive mirage, with what she dreamed of so close and yet impossibly far away – intangible and forbidden – and still she longed to reach out, to simply touch and make sure it was real. That _he_ was real.

Letting out a slow breath through parted lips, her heart skipped a beat in nervous excitement as the music began. Taking their first careful steps around each other, Adaline’s chest rose and fell with the steadiness of a pendulum, letting him hold her gaze with his. This would be her embrace, right here, in the middle of the ballroom, where she was held so tenderly by his longing eyes.

With looks intermixing softness and despair, they sought each other out after every turn, as if desperate to not let go; his hand always there for her, gripping hers just a little tighter every time - as if each touch was both their first, and possibly their last. And invisible to all, this bond between them tightened its grip of her heart. It was so tangible to her that she could feel its heavy demand dragging her down, deeper and deeper until she was lost to its spell. Lost to all but him.

She didn’t know how long they danced for, nor did she notice the whispers of those watching the two of them. Surroundings fading and time slowing, her awareness focused on him so intently that all thoughts of societal propriety, correct behaviour and decorum seemed like mere silly notions whispering at the back of her mind. For what did it matter? With dreamy eyes, flushed faces, and a few fleeting touches, this moment in time was for them, and them alone.

They didn’t stop until the music did, her senses rushing back to her with the brutality of a dam breaking, overwhelming her and nearly causing her to waver under its strong current. Only his hand still holding hers kept her grounded with its unrelenting steadiness, yet she could tell from the way his eyes roamed across her face that he felt just as unsettled as she.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” The loud voice of Lady Hazelton made her blink quickly a few times, startled, as the lady of the house started some sort of speech thanking the guests for attending. Ada didn’t exactly pay attention.

“Thank you, for the dance,” she murmured, about to turn away before she caught herself and curtsied before backing away. “Please excuse me, I need some air.” 

Carefully lifting her skirts with a hand, she made her way past the gathering people, doing her best not to rush or stop for anyone. A few people familiar with her turned to look after her, perhaps wondering where she was going walking against the current of people, but thankfully not trying to stop her in favour of listening to Lady Hazelton’s speech.

“Miss. Chalcraft?” She briefly saw the baffled face of Robert McKenzie in the crowd, eyebrows raised in a quizzical manner, head tilted to the side, but she simply shook her head before hurrying past. Of course Bobby was there. But she couldn’t stop now, she needed to get out, away from the sweaty, warm bodies surrounding her, suffocating her. Away from _him_.

The estate suddenly felt like a maze, and Adaline passed through what seemed to be endless rooms before at least reaching a door leading out to a small stone balcony. Rushing outside, the cold was for once very welcome as it filled her lungs with a fresh sting and made her skin prickle.

Leaning back against the balustrade, she closed her eyes to focus on her breathing, her chest feeling tight and heaving for air. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she realised just how warm and clammy her skin was. _How do other women do this?_ Wistfully, she tilted her head back, staring up at the stars above. The clouds seemed almost black as they rolled leisurely across the skies, like large, tumultuous waves, with the moon a precious pearl far below the waters, lighting them from underneath. Yet, a few stars freckled the night sky too, those bright enough not to be outshone by Luna nor covered by Nyx.

 _I am come completely undone_ , she thought to herself, seeking solace in the quiet of the night. _A few glances, and I can’t seem to control my own sensibilities any longer. How much more I appreciate the ordeals other women must suffer in their search for a husband, this is torturous. How do they do it? I am not even seeking love, and still my soul burns. Noah is so distant, so quiet, as though he can barely tolerate me at times. Yet, there are moments like these, when I swear there is more there, more than the frail friendship we have established. Christ, I even allowed him to use my name... is my mind so cruel as to play tricks on itself?_

“Ada?” The sound of a female voice made her jump, instantly afraid she would be told off for being here alone, but to her relief it was Priya who stepped out onto the balcony. “What are you doing out here? You will freeze to death.”

“I just needed some air, it is so crowded in there. It felt as though I could not breathe,” she said and wrapped her arms around herself, but smiled gratefully at Miss. Patel as she joined by her side.

“Are you sure it had nothing whatsoever to do with you dancing with Mr. Alexander? The two of you looked so wonderful together, Ada, and you clearly could not take your eyes off each other.” She spoke softly, a sympathetic gleam in her eyes. “You danced together for over an hour, you know.”

“An hour?” That made her look up in stunned disbelief. “Are you sure? It felt like mere minutes, I–”

Laughing now, Miss. Patel simply hugged her, wrapping her in a warm embrace. “You, my friend, are so in love, and if you are going to tell me you doubt Mr. Alexander feels the same I shall have to call you a fool.”

“Of course he does not, him and I are barely friends, Priya,” Ada said, refusing to allow herself to hope, to dream. Noah was handsome, kind, generous, and understanding, but he did not like her, she had made up her mind. It was all just wishful thinking and the curse of too much time spent daydreaming. _He can’t love me back, I do not deserve such affections._

“Fool it is then,” Miss. Patel sighed and took her arm. “But please come inside before you lose that pretty nose of yours to frostbite, not even you would manage to make the lack of a nose look flattering. Now, we are playing parlour games with some of the teachers from Marlbridge, and you will regret missing out on all the fun.”

Even if she had wanted to protest, she saw no point in trying to as she was dragged back inside. Besides, her rational side was thankfully back to a near functional state, and she knew Miss. Patel was right; this night was meant to be fun, and missing out on that just because of her own small infatuation was ridiculous.

It was another short walk to the parlour now largely occupied by teachers, both male and female, mingling and laughing while sharing a few drinks. A handful of other attendees were there as well, most likely acquaintances of someone from one of the schools. Music could still faintly be heard coming from the ballroom, accompanied by the sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation.

“Ah, there you are.” Mr. Chapman appeared almost at once as they entered, and was by Priya’s side in the blink of an eye, drinks in hand and a timid smile on his face. Yes, he had definitely grown quite fond of Miss. Patel and her lighthearted charm. “We were waiting, or, well, I tried to make them wait.”

By the looks of it, they were already engaged in some game that involved just the right amount of activity and complexity for a bunch of adults at varying stages of inebriation. Hannah’s cheeks were flushed bright pink, and she delicately covered her mouth with a hand while laughing at something Mr. Zabinski had said. At the sight of him, Ada felt herself tense automatically, recalling their last conversation all too well. Sipping her wine, she scowled slightly as he glanced over at her, only to frown himself and turn back to the game.

A tingle went down her neck as she watched and, turning her head, Adaline saw Mr. Alexander standing in a corner talking with Headmaster Koh. The two handsome men were even smiling, a glass of scotch each, with Lucas casually leaning against a nearby table. Feeling her eyes on him, Noah looked over and smiled carefully, as if anything more would startle her and make her run away again. He wasn’t wrong.

“I suggest another game!” Mr. Felix Brimble’s squeaky voice suddenly filled the small space. He always seemed to speak unnecessarily loudly, making a few standing near him flinch, and Ada cringed as she watched him raise his stubby arms to gain everyone’s attention. “After all, we now have the lovely ladies of Rosehill House here at our disposal, but I cannot help but wonder: Who is the fairest of them all?”

“I am more curious as to how you would propose to determine such a thing, Mr. Brimble?” Priya, unfazed, simply raised an eyebrow in challenge, eyes on the old man. “I mean, by which standards do you hold us poor women to?”

“Well,” he simply smiled, wrinkling his face, “why do we not start by measuring which one of you ladies have the smallest ankle? I have heard that is the most easy measure of a lady’s beauty, other than her face, of course, but the ankle gives a much more _intimate_ estimate. Because, while you women may only consider and envy the beauty of the fellow members of your fair sex in the delicate and soft features of your splendidly feminine faces, us men are equally – if not more – enticed by what is hidden under those scrumptious dresses of yours.”

Giggles spread through the women in the crowd at that, the mere suggestion scandalous and so very forward. The men meanwhile looked at each other, somewhat uncomfortable but most struggling not to grin too overtly and excitedly at the prospect of getting to observe a few ankles on this fine night. Even Ada, who had found Felix’ attempt at sounding decadent more than just a little forced, couldn’t stop her cheeks from growing hot at the thought of someone _touching_ her ankle.

“My dear sir, if you simply wanted an excuse to inspect my ankle you should have said so, but if you insist on making a competition out of it,” Miss. Patel straightened, dignified and confident to a fault, but magnificently so, “then I do not see why not. A chair, please.”

Downing her drink, Priya walked over to the chair offered to her – it had been quite eagerly brought forth by a blushing man Ada recognised as the quiet Mr. Kassam Zeroual, the Marlbridge music teacher – and gracefully sat down in it. Crossing her legs, she smiled demurely at the men present, most of whom suddenly seemed awfully shy.

“Looks like they intend on making you wait, my dear friend,” Adaline sighed, shaking her head in feigned disappointment. This development didn’t really surprise her, every meeting between the two schools seemed to turn to all kinds of risky behaviour, particularly after enough alcohol had been consumed. “And I thought the men of Marlbridge prided themselves on their politeness.”

“Fear not! I am here to save the day!” With a flourish, albeit a slow one as his knees were clearly not cooperative, Felix kneeled by Priya’s side. His hair was so grey it seemed almost blue, and as he grinned Ada noticed he was missing a few teeth, but that didn’t seem to impact his confidence in the slightest. “I do however require something to measure with, if someone would be so kind as to assist an old man in this endeavour?”

“Here, this should do,” Miss. Douglas said, stepping forwards and offering him a ribbon of lace before hurrying back to giggle with the other women.

“Perfect,” Mr. Brimble nodded and looked up at Priya with something akin to worship, and carefully, he lifted her skirts to expose her ankle. Covered in stocking, one could still see hints of her tan skin underneath it, so tantalising and forbidden. Giggles, again, and a few of the men grew visibly flushed at the sight and struggled not to stare as Felix took one of her ankles in his hand and wrapped the lace around it. “Ah, a most lovely and feminine joint, Miss. Patel.” 

Standing next to Ada, Ibrahim was rubbing the back of his neck and a small crease had settled between his brows, leaving her to wonder if he wasn’t more than just a little jealous that it was Mr. Brimble who had gotten to inspect Priya so intimately. Knowing Miss. Patel, she would never consider Mr. Chapman more than some innocent fun, yet she couldn’t help but feel bad for the man. He had strong but youthful features, with smooth dark skin and black hair; they would’ve made a beautiful match.

“My turn!” Hannah had evidently built up enough Dutch courage to speak up, her cheeks reddened to such an extent they nearly matched her hair. Taking Priya’s place on the chair, she looked at the assembled men, batting her eyelashes charmingly. “Mr. Alexander, would you do the honours?”

Inhaling sharply, Adaline didn’t mean to become quite as alert as she did when Noah obligingly stepped forwards, her eyes resting on him right as he smiled at Hannah. “Of course, Miss. Perkins.”

Kneeling by her side, Mr. Alexander accepted the band from Mr. Brimble, taking note of where Priya’s measurements had been before he gently took Hannah’s ankle in his hand. The redhead squealed a little as the handsome librarian noted the size of her ankle. “You have such large, gentle hands, Mr. Alexander,” Hannah murmured, finger to her lips and with a giggle never far away.

“Thank you,” he said with a deep chuckle, placing her foot back down once he was done. “I am afraid Miss. Patel has the smaller ankle, although yours is also most, uh, delicate, Miss. Perkins.” Standing, he offered her his hand to help her get up as well and Hannah accepted with enthusiasm.

Now holding onto Noah’s hand with her gloved one, she smiled widely up at the librarian, practically keeping him in place. “Yes, my mama always did say I had the most dainty feet.”

“You are next, Miss. Chalcraft.” Miss. Patel had approached without Adaline noticing, and now had a firm arm around her, guiding her to the chair. “It will not be a proper competition if not all us younger ladies have a go.”

“I, uhm,” Adaline stuttered, “oh, very well.” It seemed like Hannah was not the only one feeling brave that night.

Mr. Alexander’s eyes widened somewhat as she stepped over and sat down, and looked right about ready to tear himself away from Miss. Perkins just as another man came forth and took the piece of lace from him.

“Allow me.” Headmaster Koh was kneeling by where she was sat before Noah had even had time to take a step towards her - and was left standing in place, merely blinking in mild annoyance.

Adaline looked up at Noah, whose eyes seemed fixed on her with such intensity she could feel her cheeks grow hot - and hotter even as she shifted her gaze down, to where Mr. Koh gave her a teasing little smile before lifting her skirts.

A surprised little laugh escaped her as she felt his hand carefully lift her left ankle, making her gulp nervously while covering her mouth with a hand in a weak attempt at stopping herself from making more embarrassing sounds. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her now exposed ankle, her breath hitched and her chest rose rapidly as Lucas’ thumb gently glided over her soft, stocking clad skin. It was so _erotic_ , the way he wrapped the lace around her, his hold of her firm but gentle. Oh, and did he sneak one hand just a bit further up her calf?

“I believe we may have a winner,” Lucas chuckled at her expression as he stood up, offering her his hand to assist her back to her feet as well. _Oh no, is it that easy to read how I feel from my face?_ The thought only served to make her more flustered, and she smiled shyly at the Headmaster as he held up the piece of lace, showing off her measurement.

“No wonder you never got married,” barked a guttural, male voice, cutting through the lighthearted mood of the room like a rusty knife. Mr. Zabinski was well in his cups, brows drawn together in a near grimace and his cheeks pink from inebriation. “You seem about to lift your skirts for any man to have at it.”

All laughter and smiles in the room instantly faded, and any warmth and all the joy she had felt up until that moment drained from her so fast it nearly made the room spin, leaving Ada to simply stare at the man that had insulted her. “Excuse me? Have I offended you somehow, Mr. Zabinski? I know we did not see eye to eye the last time we met, but–”

“I simply did not think Rosehill House hired such harlots, that is all,” he replied dismissively, emptying his glass of wine and looking away from her as though disgusted.

“I must ask you to take that back. This instant.” Through the tears welling up in her eyes, Ada blinked in surprise as Mr. Alexander tore himself away from Miss. Perkins to step up to her side. Never had she seen him this angry before.

“Why?” Jakub reached for a decanter to pour himself more drink. “Has she lifted her skirts for you as well perhaps, is that it? Or is it that she _has not_?”

“Mr. Zabinsky, that is enough!” Now it was Mr. Koh who spoke up, forming the other half of her guard, his handsome features darkening with barely contained anger.

Jakub just grinned sheepishly however, and Noah turned to look back at Adaline, his expression hesitant and torn before seeing the tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes met his, and whatever he saw in their depths must have pushed him to act, because no sooner had he turned from her before he had closed the distance between himself and Mr. Zabinski, making the drunken man stumble back in surprise.

“I will not accept that _you_ offend _her_ honour,” Noah spoke calmly and slowly, dangerously so as he grabbed the slightly taller man by the collar, pushing him back further. “One more wrong word and I will have no choice but to challenge you, and as the gentlemen we are, I implore you not to. Apologise, or we shall have to fight at the field of honour.”

“You mean to fight me? For offending a loose skirted woman?” Ignoring Noah’s attempt at a peaceful end to this, Mr. Zabinsky threw his glass onto the floor, shattering it and causing a few of the women to nearly scream before grabbing hold of Mr. Alexander’s forearms and leaning closer. “Very well, would you like to have your life ended here, or shall we set a more formal date?”

Struggling to keep himself calm, Noah seemed to be nearly shaking as he held onto the other man. “You choose the time and place, as is your right as the challenged.” 

“I believe I have the right to choose the weapon as well.” Pushing back against Noah now, an amused smirk formed Jakub’s face. “Tell me, are you much of a swordsman, Mr. Alexander?”

A duel? He was going to fight a duel, for her? The thought made Ada feel faint, and were it not for Mr. Koh placing his hand on her arm she would’ve slumped back into the chair behind her. Looking up at him, she could tell how tense he was as he glared at Jakub before glancing down at her.

“I should have challenged him,” Mr. Koh muttered, and he actually sounded genuinely regretful. “Apologies for not stepping in sooner, Miss. Chalcraft, I am the one who should be defending your honour. I do not condone such illegal activities of course, and as Headmaster I have the power to stop it, but what Mr. Zabinsky said... I simply hope your Mr. Alexander knows what he is doing.”

“So do I,” she whispered, eyes on Mr. Alexander as he let go of Jakub with something like a growl. Calming himself, he glanced over at her before quickly walking over to a concerned looking Mr. Chapman, most likely to ask him to be his second. Sighing in resignation, she simply did not have the energy to intervene. “Oh well. I will just have to trust the gentlemen to make the correct decision.” 

“What an absolutely ridiculous notion,” Priya huffed disapprovingly, having approached and placed a protective arm around her friend, “men are seldom capable of making any decision at all, and when they do it is most surely never the correct one. No offence, Mr. Koh.”

“None taken, Miss. Patel.” Lucas even chuckled a little, but still sounded more strained than usual as he ran his hand over his hair to make sure it was in place. “Now, may I get you ladies something to drink?”

“I believe a little brandy might be needed,” Miss. Patel said with a polite smile after giving Ada a quick glance. “Actually, make that more than a little. Thank you.” With a polite bow of his head, he took his leave to get them their drinks, but not before stopping by Mr. Alexander and Mr. Chapman for a few words between the men.

“What did I miss?” Adaline jumped at the surprisingly cheerful voice coming from behind her, and, upon turning, came face to face with a grinning Mr. McKenzie. “I heard a commotion and knew it was where I was most likely to find you, Miss. Chalcraft, turns out I was right.”

A small smile was all she managed in return, and so it was Miss. Patel who had to explain. “Well, as a bit of innocent fun, we decided to see which of us young ladies have the smaller ankle. And our dear friend here apparently has an ankle so beautiful, that once exposed caused Mr. Zabinsky to offer her such offence that our very own Mr. Alexander saw no other solution than to challenge him to a duel.”

“I missed the ankles? What a disappointment!” Robert said ruefully, but still with a cheeky smile on his face as he regarded Adaline, thoughtfully scratching his chin with a few ringed fingers. “I must say, when you announced your intention to become a spinster and teacher at Rosehill House I thought it was because you wished for a calmer life. Had I known you would cause a scandal with your mere ankle I would have joined you. I dare say would have been a lovely spinster.”

Even though her eyes were still wet with tears, Bobby – as always – managed to make her laugh: a sad little thing in the state she was in, but still. For didn’t he have a point? When she had become a teacher, she had imagined a quiet life of freedom, and loneliness. Instead, she now found herself helplessly in love. In love with a man she had just come to consider a friend, and whom she up until now had doubted even tolerated her. A man now willing to risk his life for her honour.


	11. Chapter 11

During the next couple of days it was impossible not to take note of how tense Mr. Alexander was as he prepared for the duel. Spending more time than usual in the library, it was clear he was making sure his affairs were in order and that letters to his next of kin were written in case the worst happened, as any gentleman should. Of course, with it being illegal, none of the women who’d been present at the Hazelton Ball said a word other than a few hushed whispers amongst themselves, and while rumours spread it seemed like Miss. Trujillo was still oblivious or simply decided to remain ignorant in order to avoid any reprimands. After all, what good would it do to have women meddle in the serious business between men?

Mr. Chapman, as Noah’s second, had of course tried to effect a reconciliation between the parties, but Mr. Zabinski had been unwilling to comply. His second, a rather reluctant Mr. Zeroual, had done his best but there was no stopping this challenge of honour to go forth now.

Unsure of what to say, or do, Adaline did her best to keep her mind occupied with other matters, deciding it was perhaps for the best not to disrupt Mr. Alexander in his stressful preparations. Because what did one do when a man was willing to die for one's propriety and good name? That, and her own fear at what her own nonsensical feelings would cause her to do if she found herself spending even more time with him, his sweet company was dangerous indeed. Consequently, she spent the few days before the students would leave to have them help decorate for Christmas.

Filling her conservatory with rosemary, bay, and laurel, the smell was divine as she sat with the students, weaving the plants into beautiful wreaths and garlands, decorated further with dried apples and oranges, ribbons, and holly berries. Nearly humming to herself, she smiled as the students chatted eagerly amongst themselves, it made it possible to forget the events of the Ball. That was, until she overheard a certain friendship group of course.

“And then, he challenged him to a duel!” Miss. Evans tried to be quiet, but in her excitement any form of discretion evaporated. “Apparently they will fight with swords, which makes sense seeing as Mr. Zabinski is the fencing teacher at Marlbridge. So old-fashioned, but also so _masculine_ , would you not agree?”

“And how romantic!” Miss. Edwards beamed, glancing over at Miss. Chalcraft while petting the pug currently sleeping in her lap. “And so dramatic too, I cannot imagine our Mr. Alexander fighting a duel, let alone by the sword! Do we know how good of a swordsman he is? Oh it would be too heartbreaking if he were to get mortally wounded. Swords truly are so unusual, are they not? So few gentlemen know how to wield them… But then what if he were to die in Miss. Chalcraft’s arms, would that not be such a bittersweet and truly romantic end? We can all see they have formed an attachment, and yet she cannot marry without losing her position here. Do we think they have–”

“That is enough, Miss. Edwards,” Adaline said, keeping her tone slow and firm, and sighing a bit as she finally looked up at the four of them. “I think whatever you were about to say next would be best left unspoken, do you not agree?”

“I, uhm, oh, yes, Miss. Chalcraft,” Chelsea tried not to pout right while a fresh tinge of pink spread across her face, and Miss. Crawford chuckled by her side.

“She does have a point though, does she not?”

“Perhaps, yet I do not know where you girls got the idea of any sort of challenge between the gentlemen,” Adaline sighed. Pretending as though nothing of importance had taken place was draining, but crucial, both for legal reasons but also for her own sensibility. Just thinking of Noah facing Jakub in a fencing duel made her feel a bit sick.

“Of course, Miss. Chalcraft.” It was Shannon who spoke now, giving Ada a curious look. “But say, hypothetically, if two gentlemen were to duel for one’s honour, how would one feel about it?”

“Primarily, I would expect one to hope that the matter can be solved peacefully, as duelling is illegal for a reason and that being willing to sacrifice lives for petty arguments’ sake is a silly notion best left to the past.” Gently wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue, Ada did not mean to sound quite as impassioned, but this had been on her mind for days. “It would of course also have been lovely if the men had bothered asking the woman whose propriety was the cause for such a debacle what she thought of the matter, as I am sure she would have a fair few choice words to say. Yet of course gentlemen will never stoop as low as to ask a mere _woman_ what she thought of such matters, probably out of fear of rattling her frail constitution or thinking her female brain cannot possibly understand the business of men, even when that business very much is centred around her!”

Huffing a bit to herself after her tirade, it took her a moment to see the wide eyed expressions on the students’ faces as they stared at her. The whole room had fallen still, and she cleared her throat awkwardly, feeling her face grow hot.

“That is only a suggestion to how one might feel, of course,” she said, smiling through her discomfort. “Now, back to the wreath making, ladies.”

“What about flattered, do you… err, I mean, would one not feel even a smidge flattered that a handsome man would be willing to fight for one's honour?” Unwilling to leave the topic dead, Miss. Cullen had a gleam in her eye even as she smiled ever so innocently.

Falling silent for a moment, Adaline thought back to the look on Noah’s face as Jakub had offended her. The insults themselves were almost forgotten – she could not afford to linger on their painful sting – and instead it was the memory of how quickly Mr. Alexander had come to her defence that filled her mind’s eye. The look of concern on his face, the anger, the strain in his voice as he tried to reason with the other man, and then how he had offered a challenge. He had shown only a hint of hesitation, but he had defended her. _He wants to protect me, and is willing to sacrifice everything for me, I wish I understood him more, his feelings for me and – Oh._

“Yes... That too.”

Finishing the decorations, she decidedly said nothing further regarding the duel, lost to thoughts of fleetings moments, gentle touches, soft dark skin, and the warmth of his eyes on her. And then, the dance. The memory itself was a gentle caress, like silk on skin, and in her mind she relived it time and time again. _I would gladly have spent a lifetime in that ballroom, if only to feel his touch again._

With a feeling like that of having a butterfly trapped in her chest, as if it had finally managed to find its way out of the cocoon that had held it for too long and was now timidly testing its wings, she slowly started to come to the realisation that he might like her back. Making her way through the many corridors and rooms of Rosehill House, hanging up the decorations with the help of a few students, this notion slowly spread through her, the butterfly spreading its beautiful wings as though in excitement at finally being free. And still she did not feel ready to fly. Not yet.

It is however known that all things stepping into the light end up casting a shadow, and even while this sense of elation and freedom finally dawned on her, a creeping sense of dread followed close behind; lurking in the darkness. For was not Noah about to risk his life in a duel, and against one of the most skilled swordsmen she knew at that?

“Adaline!” Miss. Patel’s voice was a most welcome disruption, and Adaline smiled gladly at her friend as she entered their chambers. It was dark outside, the place quiet after a long day of the students getting ready to leave for the holidays. After tomorrow, the large estate would be even quieter.

“What is it?” She asked curiously as her gaze drifted from Priya and over to Miss. Perkins who was following close behind.

“We know when the duel is!” Priya was both excitedly loud, while also straining to keep her voice down - it was as close to shouting a whisper one could get. 

“And it is tomorrow, at dawn,” Hannah’s face was flushed as she sat down next to her, blue eyes wide. “Mr. Chapman came by, trying to keep it all secret but of course he failed, at least two maids overheard him and Mr. Alexander talking in the library. Men really do not understand the art of subtlety.”

“Poor man,” Miss. Patel sighed, but that characteristic smile of hers still played at the corners of her mouth. “We do not know the details, but yes, tomorrow at dawn is the time agreed upon.”

Adaline nodded, feeling herself tense up a bit after the brief sensation of relief had subsided. Tomorrow, Noah could die. “Very sensible,” she said after a long pause, not having trusted her own voice to stay calm. Even now, she was fighting tears, but she would be strong. “Tomorrow is when the students take their leave, this place will be too busy to notice our librarian going missing for a few hours. He will have time to come back unharmed and everyone will be none the wiser.”

“Oh, Ada.” Of course, Priya was not fooled and placed a light arm around her, hugging her tenderly. “He will be fine, do not fret. He will come back to you.”

At that Hannah seemed to scowl a little, and Adaline could swear there was a flicker of jealousy dancing across redhead’s delicate features before she replaced the grimace with as bright a smile as any. “Mr. Alexander is a true gentleman and for all we know they might even come to an agreement before having to even lift their swords, you have no reason to blame yourself for this.”

“Blame myself?” She frowned slightly. “Why would I blame myself for this? I did not even get the chance to speak, I could have done nothing to stop this from happening. Or do you think otherwise?”

“Well, you did seem awfully excited at Headmaster Koh fondling your ankle, it was quite clear to all that you did not mind lifting your skirts for him…”

“No more than you did for Mr. Alexander,” Ada snapped back, and she could practically see Miss. Perkins flinch a little. “Apologies, Hannah, I am just, I– I do not even know. Is concerned even the right word anymore?”

Priya gave her a warm little smile before glancing over at Hannah, less than impressed. “Just know you do not have any blame in this, Ada, believe me; this is just something men do once in a while. Like some odd, male ritual that they think us poor feeble women are to dumbwitted to understand when all it truly is a, well, a measuring contest.”

Hannah’s brows scrunched up at that, and she tilted her head. “For measuring what?” Adaline finally asked on the behalf of the two of them, just as confused.

“Sometimes I forget how pure and innocent the two of you are.” Miss. Patel was grinning now, and laughed softly as she went on as if explaining something elementary to two school children. “You see, gentlemen seem to think duelling works like a way to measure and compare the size of their, uh, _swords_ , so to speak…”

“Priya!” Hannah squealed, clasping a hand over her mouth in shock, whereas Adaline herself struggled against falling into fits of giggles.

“Surely they do not?” Ada asked in disbelief, eyebrows raised and lips slightly parted. Now there very much were some unwanted images on her mind, or at least the thought of Mr. Zabinski was unwanted, Mr. Alexander on the other hand...

“Oh they do not literally compare body parts, that would be far too improper, but they do seem to think the winner of a duel has somehow proven to be of superior masculine prowess, which they appear to think literally translates to the size of his, hm, maleness.” Miss. Patel explained all this with such ease, and Adaline was amazed at how she could talk of such matters as though it wasn’t strictly forbidden for women. “It is all nonsense of course, but it seems like something all men must do at least once in their lives. I must admit I do find it appealing to have a handful of suitors willing to fight for my honour, although that has not happened in far too long. Something about men knowing how to wield a weapon…”

Clearing her throat, Priya stopped herself from slipping further into her reminiscent daydreaming and instead smiled at them, still with an arm gently placed around Adaline. “In conclusion, you have nothing to worry about. Come tomorrow and it will all be over before you know it.”

Of course, Adaline did worry. 

Mind racing, she tossed around in her bed, sleep only coming in brief intervals offering her no rest nor comfort. Eyes flickering towards the window, anxiously awaiting dawn. Knowing she still had hours to wait even as the sky turned from a deep black to a cold, deep blue was torture. _Why am I not allowed to take part in these matters when I am the cause of them? Should I really allow myself to remain passive?_

Sitting up in bed, she stared at the moon while it slowly made it’s descent towards the horizon, the determination within growing firm and hard in her chest. Adaline had never been one to just wait around like a young, helpless maiden. And so she got up to hurriedly get dressed, ignoring Priya’s mumbled disapproval and questions until she was about to leave - wearing her warmest clothes and shoes.

“I will be back later, Priya,” she whispered softly, seeing her friend opening one bleary eye at her and grunting in reply as it to say ‘ _Of course you are going to do something stupid’_ – she wasn’t wrong. “Please cover for me if anyone asks for my whereabouts.”

With that Adaline rushed out of the room and, as quietly as she possibly could, made her way downstairs. _I cannot be too late, I cannot, I must find him._ Time was running out she knew as she stepped outside into the waning night, already aware of the sun colouring the distant East in its golden light. Feeling the crush of the frosty grass beneath her boots, she looked down and to her relief saw that she was not the first person who’d stepped outside tonight. Now, she simply prayed she had not made her decision too late. For if she did not catch him here, and without any idea of where the duel would be held, she might as well return to bed.

Following the trail in the grass that cut across the grounds in a clear shortcut, she was quick to realise that they were heading towards the stables – _of course_ – and soon enough she could hear the hush of voices and the impatient shuffling of hooves on stone.

“We should go.” She heard the soft voice of Mr. Chapman first while approaching, the realisation of what she was actually doing finally dawning on her. _This is exactly how I keep getting myself into trouble, causing duels and whatnot_ , she thought to herself with a quiet sigh, _sneaking around and poking my nose into other people’s business. I really should just turn back and go to bed, but…_

“Yes, I guess we must,” Noah’s deep voice was firm yet with a deeply rooted worry that not even he could conceal, and when she finally found the courage to step around the corner and saw the look on his face, her heart contracted sharply. There was a crease between his brows, and he ran a thumb nervously along his bottom lip while he looked over towards the estate – as though saying goodbye. He wore a dark, warm coat over a white shirt and light trousers, strikingly handsome as always, and with a sword at his hip. Then, he saw her.

His golden brown eyes widened in surprise, and Mr. Chapman turned to face her as well, his jaw growing slack. “Ada– Miss. Chalcraft,” Mr. Alexander took an automatic step towards her before stopping himself, glancing over at Ibrahim before his eyes settled on her again. “What are you doing here?”

“I want to come with you.” She had been thinking of what to say, but when she did so the words simply felt too weak. Slightly panicked, she placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly, hoping to make her decision seem firm.

“This is not something a lady should witness, Miss. Chalcraft,” Rahim tried gently, while Noah remained quiet, simply studying her thoughtfully. “It is not proper, and would you really wish to see something as potentially fatal?”

At least he had formulated it as a question, that was good. “First of all, and as I have pointed out before, I am not a lady. Second of all, I am the source of this duel in the first place, and it is after all my honour that is being challenged. Yet how do you expect me to know if my honour has been satisfyingly and thoroughly defended if I do not even get to witness the event? No, it will not do.”

“Eh,” Mr. Chapman seemed rather caught off guard by her appearance, let alone her stubbornness. “I still do not think this is wise, Miss. Chalcraft, the other gentlemen there may think badly of you if you decide to attend.” He looked helplessly over at Noah for help, but the other man remained quiet.

“They already do think badly of me I believe, so I do not see how that will make a difference,” Ada said, crossing her arms now and trying not to get too embarrassed at herself and her insistence. _I do hope Noah does not find me a bother, me appearing right before his duel, inserting myself into the situation again..._

“Very well,” Mr. Alexander finally spoke, nodding slightly as if confirming the decision to himself. And without further ado, he simply approached before unceremoniously grabbing her by her waist and lifting her onto his horse as though she weighed nothing at all.

“What are you–” She gasped, blinking in surprise. This was not what she had expected. Noah didn’t reply however, and simply got up on the horse behind her, grabbing the reins before the restless animal started moving too much under them.

“We do not have time to saddle another horse,” was his simple explanation, his deep voice so close she could practically feel his breath against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. Adjusting himself behind her, Adaline tried not to make too many unladylike sounds at feeling his chest pressed against her back, but she failed completely as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close. A near whimper escaped her, and she felt his chest rumble slightly while he chuckled. “Apologies Miss. Chalcraft, I hope this is not too disagreeable to you?”

Next to them, Mr. Chapman appeared nearly equally as shocked as she felt before he closed his mouth and mounted his horse as well. Now smiling some over at them, he seemed to give Noah a certain – almost approving – look before kicking his heels into the sides of the horse. “We should get moving, it is almost time.”

Noah smoothly pushed his horse into a soft canter, which helped her stay put in her sidesaddle position – for once she wished she’d worn trousers. The other thing helping her stay balanced was him, of course, and with one firm around her he steered the horse expertly with his free hand.

“Are you comfortable?” He asked gently over the sound of hooves on grass as they hurriedly made their way into the forest between the two schools in a race against the swift sunrise.

“Mhm,” she nodded her head vigorously, perhaps too much so as she was too aware of the warmth of his body radiating against her to truly relax. The nearness, the way he held her so firmly close to him, it was almost sensory overload in its intimacy, but it was not unwanted. Closing her eyes, knowing he could not see her face, she carefully, hesitantly, allowed herself to rest back against him.

As if feeling her finally ease back into him, Noah hugged her gently closer, and she could sense his smile as he leaned down and closer, until his lips were so near her ear his velvet voice made her core clench in anticipation. “ _Good_.”

Letting out a slow breath, Ada shuddered and balled her hands into fists in the folds on her skirts and, despite her best efforts, she smiled. Everything she had been taught practically screamed at her that this was wrong, but how could it be when it felt so right? Pressed against him, he offered her warmth and comfort as the horse’s speed caused the cold winds to rush against her, a laugh nearly escaping her lips as the first rays of sunlight hit her face. Sat on this horse with him, she could for a while forget about their destination and purpose, simply basking in the liberating sensation of freedom and intimacy.

Next to them, Mr. Chapman threw them a glance and smiled, it was the widest she’d ever seen him grin; his white teeth a contrast to his dark skin. He truly was a handsome man, and she wished he smiled more. The way he glanced between them, the curious approval there, it made the butterfly caught in her chest flap uncontrollably, tickling her insides and pushing her to place one of her arms over Noah’s, encouraging his touch.

All too soon however, they were slowing down as they approached a clearing in the forests, close to an old and derelict hunting lodge, overgrown with vines and crumbling to pieces – perfect for secret meetings. And duels.

Pulling the reins, Noah slowed his horse before they got there however, coming to a halt by a grand oak tree. Suddenly quiet and tense again, he carefully dismounted before helping her to the ground as well. Glancing over at Rahim, who remained on his horse, Mr. Alexander hesitated only a bit as he ran his thumb along his bottom lip before placing his hands on her shoulders. “I need you to remain here, please?” Leaning down a little his eyes fixed on hers, and the intensity and near pleading expression on his face made her nod slowly in quiet acquiescence. “Thank you. We will not be far so you may watch, but I would rather you stay safe and away from Mr. Zabinski. I am, ah– I will collect you once the business is done.”

Wetting her lips – her mouth suddenly feeling very dry – she searched his face, committing his face to memory. The worry had returned with full force, and there was so much she wished to say to him, so much that had been left unspoken for so long. “Just… Please stay safe?”

His grip on her tightened somewhat, a small crease forming between his brows. The silence hung heavily between them, and he parted his lips as though to speak, but no words left him. Instead, he simply nodded, lips drawn into a thin smile, before he let go of her and mounted his horse again.

Mr. Chapman had remained quiet as well, giving them this small moment to themselves while keeping his back turned towards them. Now however, he faced her once more, offering her a reassuring smile. “He will be safe, Miss. Chalcraft, and be back before you know it.” And with that, they were off, riding towards the clearing and where she could just now see a few other men gathering - the tall brute Jakub amongst them.

Remaining alone by the oak tree, and without the heat of Noah’s body to keep her warm, the day suddenly felt all too cold again. Yet she remained in place, understanding the reasoning behind the decision – a woman would not have been a welcome addition to the events, and would only further ruin her marred reputation. Mr. Alexander had been generous by allowing her even this far, knowing her attendance would only have served to jeopardize her honour further.

Hugging her own arms around herself, her shawl working as a near blanket, she watched in silence and from a safe distance as the men met under the dawning sun. Mr. Chapman and Mr. Zeroual stood in the middle of the clearing to discuss terms on behalf of the challenger and the challenged, before the swords were brought forth and inspected. Their voices could barely be heard from where she stood, the doctor they had managed to procure turning his back to them as the two gentlemen stepped forth to face each other.

Adaline’s eyes rested on Noah where he stood, tall and dignified as he removed his coat and handed it to Rahim, leaving him in just his shirt in the cold December air. Drawing his fencing sword, his breath formed into mist in front of him, calm and steady – for now. Replicating him, Jakub made more of a show out of his preparation, his white shirt clinging too tightly to his torso as he did a few practice swings with his sword and grunting loud enough for even her to hear him clearly.

With a pang, she realised they both wore crisp white shirts and cream trousers to make any blood easier to see, and she prayed to God that they had agreed to end it at the first visible cut and not at incapacitation, or death.

Metal hit metal with a clear, sharp twang, making the already still morning fall even more quiet – not even the birds were singing anymore – until it was only the sound of swords clashing that could be heard. Clasping a hand over her mouth, Adaline felt her heart pounding rapidly in her chest at the sheer brutality with which Mr. Zabinsky attacked Noah. The librarian was left having to focus on defending himself as the other man moved at a near blinding speed, slicing through the air while looking for a way through.

 _He is trying to kill him_. The cold realisation hit her right when the tip of Jakub’s sword grazed Noah’s left forearm, cutting through the fabric of his shirt like it was nothing. Watching Mr. Alexander shuffle back, his breath coming faster and warmer in puffs of steam, she saw a small trickle of blood colouring the fabric red, and yet they did not stop. _Oh please, please_. Her eyes watered as Jakub grinned and bellowed in satisfaction before pressing on, stabbing and slicing while he forced Noah towards the edge of the clearing. _Please, let him come back to me. Let him come home._

A cry of anguish nearly escaped her when Jakub’s sword thrust forwards, stabbing into the air where his opponent’s chest had been mere milliseconds before. For a moment, it looked as though Noah was about to stumble, nearly taking to a knee before steadying himself – the look of triumph on Mr. Zabinski’s face was horrid when he swung around, with Mr. Alexander once more only barely having time to step quickly aside while he valiantly parried another attack. Regaining control at last, his movements steadied into their usual calm as the two men circled each other.

Mr. Zabinsky was grunting in annoyance now, his thrusts and cuts failing to hit their mark, his movements slowly becoming sluggish until both the men were gasping for breath. For a while, they simply stood still, studying each other with narrowed eyes and their chests heaving, swords at the ready.

From this angle, she could clearly see Noah’s face, and the way one sleeve of his shirt was torn apart, a small patch of blood having stained the fabric red. At least the cut was not deep. Moving her gaze up from his arm, she realised with a start that he was looking directly at her. Golden brown eyes met hers, having found her amongst the trees as though deliberately seeking her out, and the look in his eyes softened slightly as his gaze held hers, his breathing seeming to calm before his expression grew darker once more – a determined look settling between his brows.

Then, he struck. Faster than she’d thought possible, Mr. Alexander took Mr. Zabinsky by surprise, pressing forwards with steady steps and his jaw set. Faking a thrust, he instead quickly sliced up and nearly scraped across Jakub’s face, leaving the large, pale man with no choice but to awkwardly shift his sword to parry before the metal could cut through his skin. That was enough, as Noah rapidly shifted his weight from one leg to the other, bringing his arm back before thrusting down and forwards. Right through Mr. Zabinsky’s right thigh.

With a loud cry in pain, the Marlbridge teacher fell to his knees, one hand gripping his leg as Noah stepped back, withdrawing his sword from the other man’s thigh before gently placing the tip of his sword against Jakub’s throat while catching his breath. It was over, it was done.

Rushing forth when called for, the doctor was quick to tend to the furious Mr. Zabinsky as he laid down on the cold ground. Meanwhile, Ibrahim laughed in relief and shook hands with his friend before pulling him close in a tight hug – she was not the only one who had feared the worst it seemed. Pulling his coat back on and sheathing his sword after wiping the blood off it, Noah finally approached Jakub who had gotten to his feet, his thigh tightly bandaged yet it was evident no main arteries had been cut.

Shaking hands, the men exchanged a few polite words before finally parting ways as the challenger was satisfied that her honour had been properly defended. Slowly, the adrenaline subsided, and this all suddenly seemed so silly, so ridiculous, to her while she watched Mr. Alexander ride back towards her – Mr. Chapman heading back towards Marlbridge Academy now that his task had concluded – Adaline felt a few hot tears finally escape her eyes. _He could have died, I will never let him risk his life for me again. Never._

Dismounting, Noah smiled at her with such relief – all worry completely wiped from his features – as he walked closer to assist her onto his horse again. Before he got that far however, she had rushed to meet him, flinging her arms around him in a display of unrestrained affection that would normally have been so unlike her. She didn’t care.

Clearly surprised, Mr. Alexander stumbled and grunted a little in pain before gently wrapping his own arms around her, holding her close to him. “Adaline,” Noah said softly, carefully running a hand over her head before it came to rest at the nape of her neck, gently caressing her. Pulling back, she looked up at him, her heart thumping in her chest amidst a sudden fluttering of nervousness, or was it excitement? Slowly, he moved his hand to tenderly run his thumb across her cheeks, wiping the tears from her face. “Thank you, for coming with me. I, ah, hope I defended your honour to your satisfaction?””

“Of course you did,” she whispered, finding herself holding on to him, never wanting to let go again. “Do not ever do it again.”

Whatever restraint had so far possessed her at last took flight in her chest, a sense of finally letting go making her get up on her tip-toes and press her lips to his before rational thoughts could stop her; screaming at her to stop; that she didn’t know what she was doing; that she had never kissed a man before.

Feeling his arm around her tensing, Ada pulled back, her eyes wide in surprise at herself and what she’d just done, and she was about to apologise but not before he leaned back down to catch her lips with his again in a rush of passion, determinedly pulling her closer. There was an urgency and a heat to it unlike anything she’d experienced before, whatever hesitancy she had felt at that moment soon overcome by the sensation of his warm mouth on hers. Cupping her face with one hand, he held on just as desperately as her, his tongue gently teasing her lips apart and forcing out a soft moan from the back of her throat.

Not realising she’d stepped backwards, her back met solid wood and he pressed her against the trunk of the large oak tree, slowly deepening the kiss. His now free hand travelled down her waist, and gasping she felt his hand grip her hip, holding her in place and leaning against her. It was as though a dam had finally broken, all her walls crumbling to dust while he encouraged her with a gentle nip to her bottom lip before finding her slightly swollen lips again with a small groan of his own.

Her body was on fire at his administration; hips pressing against hers making a place between her legs throb and causing her to cling onto him, wanting and needing. Once more, a few tears escaped her, but this time at the happiness and relief that was making her come undone in his arms. Feeling his heart beating hard in his chest, his body near enveloping hers, she could tell he was smiling now after the initial desperation of the moment had subsided, replaced by a loving tenderness that made her want to lose herself to him completely.

All too soon however, he pulled back, bright eyes looking at her in wonder while running a finger along her cheekbone. Mouth slightly open, Adaline could still feel the burning touch of his lips on hers as they both caught their breath. Unable to help it, a small, amazed laugh escaped her and she slid a hand up his back, shocked at what had just happened. Seemingly equally stunned, Noah laughed with her before their smiles met in a sweet, final kiss before he stepped back, allowing her to breathe properly again.

Taking her hand in his, unable to tear his eyes from her, Mr. Alexander swallowed hard with thinly veiled restraint, shifting his weight around from one leg to the other. “We should head back,” he said in a gravelly voice, the smile never leaving his face while helping her up on his horse and making her realise he had a dimple on the left side of his face. How sweet.

“We should,” she agreed softly when he mounted behind her, settling into place again. This time, she felt no worry or hesitation whatsoever as she leaned back. Rather, she wantonly relaxed against his firm chest. _What have I done?_ She thought, feeling him press a few feather-light kisses up along the soft skin of her neck, causing her to sigh in satisfaction. _What I should have done weeks ago._ “I believe we are in no hurry though?”

“I believe you are correct,” he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her again as they slowly made their way back to Rosehill House. Only a few hours had passed, night having made way for day, another morning nearly done, and yet. Everything had changed.


End file.
